Silver Sakura
by SelahSpinshadow
Summary: YnMTF:RiD crossover. It should have been a simple mission. But when robot guardians and a new curse from Muraki become involved . . . things are more than meets the eye. (revampcomplete)
1. Shinigami

Author's Note: This was written as a contest entry in the Transformers fandom, hence the exposition of the first "scene." Mostly anime-based, and the year is now 2003.   
Also, //_line(s) of text_// indicates whispering by someone not the narrator.   
[Note that this has been heavily edited since original posting.]   
**Warnings:** Some angst eventually, giant alien robots making a mess of things, undercover shounen-ai, and Magnus the Perpetually Pissy.   
**Disclaimer:** _Yami no Matsuei_ belongs to Matsushita Yoko and RiD belongs to Hasbro/Takara. I have no claim to anything except the plot.   
  


* * *

  


**Silver Sakura**   
_Chapter 1: Shinigami_

  
There are, in the realms of the supernatural, many agencies of power and all manner of creatures. Among them are the descendants of darkness, the powers of the underworld. It is said that Enma, Lord of Death, has many agents to assist in the handling of the technical aspects of the afterlife, seeing to it's proper management through the offices of Juuocho. Of those so charged, perhaps the most important are the _shinigami_ of Enmacho's Shokan division, those who have been charged with conducting lost souls into the next life and investigating any anomalies in the smooth functioning of the _kiseki_, the List of the Dead.   
The _shinigami_ of the Kyuushuu district, the veteran mage Tsuzuki Asato and his young empath partner Kurosaki Hisoka, have been proclaimed as the foremost of the agency. They have investigated numerous strange occurances and survived more traps and twisted plots than is, perhaps, strictly fair. Often they have crossed paths with Muraki Kazutaka, a brilliant doctor whose search for power over life and death has driven him quite mad. Muraki cursed and murdered Hisoka years ago, an act directly responsible for Hisoka choosing to become _shinigami_. Now the mad doctor's quest has lead him to an obsession with Tsuzuki and the power the experienced _shinigami_ possesses. Wary of openly challenging the considerable power to Tatsumi Seiichirou, _kagetsukai_ and a close friend of Tsuzuki's, Muraki himself moves through shadows and silence, researching new avenues of capturing Tsuzuki without attracting the unwanted attention of the shadow master who has sworn to exact harshest revenge. For with the power of Tsuzuki's magic and his _shikigami_, Muraki would indeed become a master of life and death.   
This contest for power may have continued on largely unnoticed by the secretive robot guardians of Earth if not for a chance discovery by the good doctor. While seeking more information on the Autobots charged with protecting Earth and their alien technology, Muraki happened to cross paths with the Decepticon commander, Scourge. From this accidental meeting came an uneasy alliance in the quest for knowledge and power.   
Now, six months later, the first signs of impatience are beginning to show. . . .   
  
  
"Hey Koji! Bet I can beat you home!"   
"You're on!"   
Three unseen entities stood beside the road, watching the two boys racing towards them. If not for the obvious youth of the third, they might look like businessmen. There was something about the other two, however, that would have made one think twice of bothering them. As though all three were shrouded in secrets as dark as the trenchcoats they wore. Sapphire, amethyst, and emerald eyes tracked the boys' progress until the youngest broke the silence.   
"Tatsumi-san . . . are you certain?" Hisoka murmured, vivid green eyes shaded with doubt as he watched. "He doesn't even look sick. . . ."   
"Looks can be deceiving," Tsuzuki replied, a faint frown marring his usually playful expression.   
"There can be no mistake; his name is on the _kiseki_. He should have died six months ago but some power has interferred. I assume the two of you are capable of handling this assignment. . . ."   
The _kagetsukai shinigami_ only paused momentarily before disappearing into the shadows. Tsuzuki sighed as he finger-combed his black hair back from his face.   
"I can't believe Tatsumi let this case get backlogged six months. How are we supposed to investigate this? The case is cold before we've even had a chance to start!"   
"Calm down before you give me a headache. We'll think of something."   
"Like what? Trying to kill him and seeing what happens? Actually. . . ."   
"Tsuzuki! Wait. . . !"   
But it was already too late; the dark-haired _shinigami_ was already running after the two bicycles.   
"_Baka_," Hisoka muttered to himself for the millionth time as he ran to catch up with his partner. Grabbing the mage's arm, he dragged Tsuzuki to a halt. _HE_ was supposed to be the senior partner, the one with decades of experience . . . and he was acting like an idiot. As usual.   
"_Shimatta_, Tsuzuki, think! You can't just unleash magic here. This is an investigation, not a chance to show off . . . remember?"   
"All right, all right . . . so what do we do? The case is cold."   
"You could start by actually reading the case file," the younger _shinigami_ muttered, waving the file under his partner's nose. "You read, I'll watch. He's home now, so he won't be going anywhere for awhile."   
"Ah, 'soka, you're so smart!"   
"Just read," he grumbled moodily. Aside from the afternoon traffic, the street was empty, not that anyone could see them. Unless they were actively trying to be seen, only those with a profound need to seek the _shinigami_ or those whom they had been sent to bring back could see them in their current, spiritual forms. So he was understandably startled when a voice addressed them.   
"Is there something you gentlemen need?"   
//_"Uh, 'soka, did someone just talk to us?"   
"_Baka_, of course not."_//   
"Because if there's no reason for you two to be here, I'd suggest moving on before someone calls the police."   
Hisoka frowned in confusion; he wasn't familiar with automobiles, but the yellow sportscar idling before them looked out of place on the narrow street. Although, on second thought, the red eagle pictogram emblazoned on the hood would likely make it look out of place on _any_ street. The design struck him as a rather ridiculous thing to have painted on one's car, particularly such an expensive one.   
"Go on, kid, go home."   
Amythest eyes narrowed in suspicion as Tsuzuki frowned at the yellow car. The windows were so heavily tinted there was no way to see the driver. A driver who could apparently see them, even though it should have been impossible. There was something strange about his voice as well, but Hisoka couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.   
He was still trying to figure it out when the car unfolded into a giant robot.   
"Now, I _know_ you two aren't deaf. . . ."   
Both _shinigami_ stared up at the robot in disbelief, but it was Tsuzuki who recovered his voice first.   
"A soulless construct of man can see _shinigami_?? That's impossible!"   
"Now, see, where I come from, that's just rude. . . ."   
"You _are_ a robot," Hisoka offered, trying to gain some sort of grasp on reality. Angels, demons, vampires, enraged _shikigami_ . . . he'd handled more strange things in his afterlife than he could easily count, and yet a transforming robot was sending his mind reeling. A situation that was not helped when he realized he was sensing concern from someone other than Tsuzuki.   
"A Cybertronian, actually. Are you okay, kid?"   
"I, um, I'll be fine. . . . Tsuzuki . . . I think we need to go back to Meifu. . . ."   
". . . and wring Tatsumi's neck? I've got a better idea. . . ."   
Tsuzuki called a dove to his hand, whispering to it briefly before sending it on it's way. Hisoka sat down on the curb, feeling strangely dizzy. He had never felt this disoriented with so few people around. Staying in Chijou wasn't his idea of a solution, but he would have to trust his partner's judgement. Even if his partner was an idiot.   
  
  
REV stepped away from the two strange humans and waited. He allowed himself a thin smile when Hot Shot turned onto the street, transforming to join him outside the Onishi home. He had already told Doctor Onishi and Koji to remain inside; he didn't expect trouble, but he wanted to be ready, should trouble present itself.   
"Assessment?"   
"They claim to be _shinigami_. I don't know that I believe that, but whoever they are, they've been watching Koji all afternoon. And their EM spectra are off. Way off. They seemed pretty surprised that I could see them, too. 'Course, it's not like seeing a car transform right before your eyes wouldn't throw anyone for a loop the first time he saw it happen, ya know what I mean?"   
Hot Shot merely nodded, studying their unexpected charges. The two humans looked ill at ease, the youth more so than his older partner. He had looked up when Hot Shot turned onto the street, but his head was back down on his knees now. The Autobots had encountered a lot of humans in their time on Earth, but even allowing for variation, these two had particularly uniform, _cold_ spectra. And there was something else, something REV couldn't quite quantify. Something that had prompted him to run two sensor diagnostics already, not certain he could really believe the humans were even there.   
"What is your interest in Koji?" Hot Shot asked calmly.   
"What business is it of yours?" the older human demanded, strange purple eyes blazing in his outrage. REV couldn't recall ever seeing that color before. At least, not in a human's _eyes_.   
"I believe I asked first," Hot Shot replied evenly.   
"Tsuzuki, please. . . ."   
Two words from his partner was enough to make the older man pause and subside in his anger. The youth looked up at Hot Shot and REV with pained eyes, though REV couldn't make sense of the silent message he sensed the child was trying to send him.   
"As experienced as you both are, I should think a simple matter of retrieval could be handled without calling me. And without such language, Tsuzuki," a voice said dryly from the shadows.   
"Oh yeah? Well . . . well . . . well, maybe if these constructs weren't breaking all the rules and if this wasn't a six-month-old case and . . . wait, retrieval? You said investigation!"   
"I said assignment," the voice said coldly, it's owner stepping out of the shadows. REV blinked, running yet another diagnostic on his scanners; this human had simply . . . appeared in the shadow of a tree. He had _not_ been there a minute ago. He did, however, possess the same depressed spectra as the other two humans.   
"I am not a taxi service!!"   
"Tsuzuki. . . ."   
"That is debatable, but hardly relevant. That this fails to be a glamourous case is of no concern. If you are incapable of doing your job properly, Tsuzuki, then perhaps it is time you retired."   
"Tatsumi-san. . . ."   
"Retired! Hah! You yourself have made sure I'll be working for free for the rest of eternity!!"   
"Tsuzuki. . . ."   
"Hardly. I am not at fault for your tendancy to overcharge the department. Nor am I responsible for the damage you have done to the Shokan division. . . ."   
"Tatsumi-san. . . ."   
"Ai! That's not my fault! I was being possessed, _remember?_ Demonic general intent on destruction and conquest mean anything to you? Okay, so I was stupid to let myself get into that situation, but it still wasn't my fault. Pah, you'd blame me for everything, wouldn't you, Seiichirou? I guess some things never change, ne?"   
"Tsuzuki!"   
"I see your ego has not decreased. . . ."   
"Tatsumi-san, please!"   
"Excuse me?!?!?"   
"Perhaps if we interrupted for you kid?" REV drawled. The youth frowned up at him in annoyance, then turned back to his companions. The third human actually flinched minutely at the interruption, then cold professionalism slid back into place as he turned slightly to gaze up at REV and Hot Shot with impressive calm.   
"They can hear you," the youth said lamely.   
"So I see. . . ."   
"I take it you are a person of some authority over these two?" Hot Shot asked calmly.   
"In theory, though they sometimes argue the point," he replied, turning a dark look on Tsuzuki momentarily.   
"Then perhaps you can explain who you are and what your interests are in the boy, Koji."   
"And perhaps some names?" REV added. "Just so I can stop calling him 'kid'. . . ."   
"Who we are is not --"   
"Important? I beg to differ. We will not simply stand aside and _let_ you kill him."   
"I doubt very much that you would be able to stop us. . . ."   
"Er, Tatsumi, I'm fairly sure they're the reason we're here," the human, Tsuzuki, interrupted. "If they can see us. . . ."   
"Who are you," the slender newcomer demanded in icy tones, blue eyes burning with frozen ire, "that you can see _shinigami_ and interfere in the demands of the _kiseki_?"   
"Ever get that feeling like you're being ignored?" REV asked his partner, grinning unrepentantly. He could tell Hot Shot was not impressed with their supernatural visitors, not that he blamed him; for being charged with helping people make the transition from life to death, they had terrible manners.   
"Tatsumi Seiichirou, Kurosaki Hisoka, and I'm Tsuzuki Asato. _Apparently_, this boy, Koji, was supposed to die six months ago, but something prevented it. You guys?"   
"Six months ago? 'Shot?"   
"That would have been Wedge's doing, I believe. Decepticon attack during a school outing, though we're still not sure why they tried to kill him specifically."   
"Yeah, it's not like he has any special powers," REV mused, blinking at a tiny but insistent flashing indicator light. Signatures were approaching, but he set aside trying to figure out who - Hot Shot could worry about it. He was more concerned with these _shinigami_ and what they wanted with Koji.   
"Even without special powers he's annoying! You should thank us for ridding the world of his presence!"   
"Forget it Scourge!" Hot Shot growled, shifting position to place himself between the raging Decepticon and the _shinigami_. As if _shinigami_ needed protecting.   
"Who's going to stop me, Autobot? You? Don't make me laugh."   
"Then why don't you try taking _me_ on, Scourge."   
"Gladly, Mercenary! Sword of Fury!"   
"Arm can--" but Ultra Magnus cut himself off abruptly as the very shadows came alive, entangling both Cybertronians' legs in thick chains of darkness. REV was actually surprised at what could only be the intervention of the _shinigami_.   
"That will be quite enough. Had I known _your_ kind was involved in this. . . ."   
"Do _not_ tell me you knew about these . . . things. . . ."   
"Enough, Tsuzuki-san. Take Kurosaki-kun back to Meifu. As for you two. . . ."   
The authoritative _shinigami_ trailed off with a dark glower. It was only at his words that REV noticed Hisoka's increasing level of distress. Guilt nipped at him for not noticing sooner and then the youth and his strange partner were gone.   
"As for the rest of you," Tatsumi grumbled, "your conflict has sent all of Meifu into an uproar. Kill each other if you must, but leave humanity out of it."   
"I will do as I please," Scourge growled. "And _you_ will not stop me, puny human."   
"You test my patience at your own peril. Perhaps we will discover if your kind truly _does_ possess a soul. . . ."   
"Why you --!"   
The shadows around his legs swelled and rose up like a living wall, wrapping around Scourge and holding him immobile, his arms trapped at his sides. REV could tell that Hot Shot was worried about the situation; he could feel his own disquiet rising as well. He had heard of the _shinigami_ in passing before, but only as masters of _fuda_ magic. This . . . this was something else entirely.   
"You test him at your own folly, _shinigami_," Ultra Magnus rumbled darkly. "Know, too, that no war comes without collateral damage. If your kind cannot adapt to that. . . ."   
The green glow of matrix energy surged down from Magnus's chest, shattering the delicate shadow weave that held him. REV tried to fight off an amused smirk at Tatsumi's fleeting look of shock, but from Hot Shot's expression he could tell that it wasn't working. The black 'bot's masked look of censure only made it that much harder for him to hold in a snicker and REV knew that they were going to have words later.   
"He is your mortal enemy and yet you would defend him against me?"   
"Funny how that happens. . . ."   
"I don't need your protection, Mercenary!"   
"And I'm not giving it, Decepticon. If anyone's killing you, by rights, it should be me.   
"Besides," he drawled a moment later, "if I let him kill you, he might come after me next and where would be the fun in that?"   
Somehow, Scourge's snort managed to sound both derisive and mocking. Tatsumi's own noise of disdain sounded no better.   
"If you are quite done," Hot Shot said mildly in an attempt to head off any further shows of power, "perhaps you could see Scourge off, Magnus, while Tatsumi-san and I go for a drive. . . ."   
REV watched his partner and commander transform to vehicle mode, as if dealing with Scourge could be so simple as merely suggesting a course of action. It rarely was, but Ultra Magnus had proven himself the stronger of the two yet again, so perhaps this time it would be.   
"I have no intension of doing any such thing."   
"I suggest you do, Tatsumi-san," REV said quietly. "Unless you wish to continue having these confrontations. . . ."   
"Very well," the slender _shinigami_ muttered, his eyes narrowing briefly in annoyance. REV was just going to ask him about the shadow wall when the ethereal restraints faded away.   
"This isn't over, Mercenary, you hear me? This is _not_ over. . . ."   
"It never is," Magnus murmured as he stood, sentinel-like, watching the black tanker truck drive away.   
"He reminds me of Muraki-san; you should not have defended him."   
"Perhaps," Ultra Magnus conceded with a slight bow, "but it is done now. Have a nice ride."   
With a brief nod to REV, the ungovernable matrix-bearer turned, transformed, and drove away.   
  
  
Hot Shot took care to settle his passenger before pulling away from the Onishi home. He didn't feel completely comfortable with the apparent shadow mage, but if the _shinigami_ were going to insist that Koji should be dead, he was obligated to at least _try_ talking them out of it.   
"Thank you for agreeing to speak with me."   
"Considering I had little choice in the matter. . . ."   
He ignored the implied barb, silently asking T-AI to activate the spacebridge. There was no particular reason to leave Japan - he could drive there as well as anywhere else - but he suspected they might have an easier time in the arid steppes of Mongolia. If nothing else, should things degenerate further, there would be no one else at risk.   
"Where are you taking me?"   
"Does it matter?"   
"Must everything be a contest to you? Or is this merely a reflection of your kind's inability to respect others?"   
"Respect among us is not given on command; it must be earned. Thus far I have seen no reason to offer you my respect, Tatsumi-san, only reasons to be wary of your shadow magic. You talk so highly of respect, yet you haven't even asked for my name. It's Hot Shot, by the way, and if it makes any difference to you at all, I'm a special operations unit commander. I thought a drive through the desert would be good for us both, Tatsumi-san. If nothing else, fewer innocent bystanders."   
His passenger fumed in silence as they passed out of the spacebridge and onto the arid steppes. A dust cloud rose up behind him as he simply drove cross-country. Hot Shot was beginning to worry over how he was to start their conversation when Tatsumi sighed.   
"If you intend to ask me to spare his life, do not bother; I do not have such power."   
"Really. Then you lied - you do not command the _shinigami_."   
"I never said I did," he corrected coolly. "I _am_ Konoe-kachou's secretary and so, in that capacity, have some authority over Tsuzuki-san and Kurosaki-kun. But even so, the Shokan Division is bound by the directives of the _kiseki_; we are agents, not arbiters. Of all the _shinigami_, only Tsuzuki-san has ever prevailed upon Hakushaku-sama to extend a mortal's life . . . and I can only imagine what he owes for such considerations."   
"It would seem we ourselves have some power to prevent his death."   
"Only because his young soul should have no need of our aid in the crossing and so we were not directly involved. Now. . . ."   
"You _must_ know that we cannot allow this."   
"And you must know that there is nothing you can do to stop us."   
"He is only a boy. . . ."   
"As was Kurosaki-kun. As were countless others before. As will be untold others after he is forgotten. His life is no more meaningful simply because _you_ know him."   
"It is to us."   
"As mine was to my family, long ago. It changes nothing."   
Hot Shot wanted to argue with the cold _shinigami_ . . . but found that he couldn't. Koji was important to the Autobots as the son of Doctor Onishi and as a friend, but truthfully, his life meant little in the grander scheme of things. But the thought of just _letting_ Koji die still rankled.   
"He is your friend and so you do not wish him to die. But even your kind must live your time and die, though that time seems nearly forever to the humans around you. His time has passed and you have even been gifted an extra six months; there is nothing more you can do but to accept it."   
"It's not fair."   
"Life is rarely fair," Tatsumi murmured, and in the space between beats, the _shinigami_ disappeared into the shadows within Hot Shot's own cabin.   
  
  
It was raining in Meifu. Again.   
"Why is it always raining when I bring you back here like this, Hisoka, hmm? Some spell you haven't told me about?"   
"Not funny, Tsuzuki," his partner murmured, leaning against him heavily. The elder mage smoothed his ruffled hair, focusing on thinking warm, soothing thoughts. Hisoka's private sanctuary in Meifu, away from all others, was well shielded against outside thoughts, but Tsuzuki knew that, despite his own shields, his emotions were still coursing through his partner. The curse of Hisoka's gift and the power of physical contact.   
"_Baka._ You don't have to worry about me so much. . . ."   
"Of course I do; you almost collapsed. As it is, you can't even walk on your own right now."   
Unable to argue the point, Hisoka sulked instead. Tsuzuki chuckled softly, hugging his sullen partner briefly before opening the door to Hisoka's Meifu apartment. It was unusual for any _shinigami_ to have an apartment in Meifu - even Watari had an apartment in Tokyo - but the empath firmly claimed that he was not yet adept enough at shielding himself to be able to tolerate living in such a crowded city. Although, after so many years, Tsuzuki wondered if it wasn't more a case that his partner didn't _wish_ to gain that level of mastery. He wasn't sure that he blamed him. Besides, the apartment in Meifu had proven convienent on days when the elder _shinigami_ hadn't felt up to making the transition to Chijou.   
"Feeling better?"   
"What did I just tell you about worrying?"   
"Wah! It's just the two of us, Hisoka; you don't have to act so cold. . . ."   
"I. . . ."   
"Well, if you're feeling better, we should go back and find out if Tatsumi dealt with the kid himself or not."   
"You go, see what Tatsumi-san says. I'll be fine by the time you get back."   
"Take a nap then" he suggested, ruffling Hisoka's hair. "You look like you could use it."   
"Tsuzuki!"   
He laughed as he ducked away from Hisoka's clumsy and half-hearted swat, hurrying to let himself out of the cloistered apartment. It was still raining, but not nearly as much as it had been. A gentle shower this time that felt not unlike a lover's caress against his skin. He was torn between hurrying towards shelter and lingering in the gentle fall of water. As a result, he was well and truly soaked by the time he reached Juuohcho. And yet, he couldn't make himself mind.   
"Raining again I see."   
"_Hai_. Is Tatsumi here?"   
"No, he hasn't come back yet. Here, wait a second," Watari said, slipping back into his lab momentarily before throwing a towel at Tsuzuki. "Can't have you dripping everywhere, ne? Where's your partner?"   
"Resting," he mumbled through the towel. While he wasn't terribly surprised to hear that Tatsumi wasn't back yet, it was a bit inconvienent. It meant the former _shinigami_ could very well be clearing up the case himself. Then again, if he had, shouldn't he have been back?   
"Come, have some tea and tell me what happened? Seiichirou was furious at your, how shall we say . . . summons?"   
"I wasn't too happy either," he grumbled as he pulled the towel away from his face, following Watari into his lab.   
"Hmm, no, I thought not," the blond _shinigami_ murmured as he puttered about his lab, preparing the tea. Tsuzuki gave his hair another swipe with the towel before droping it on the back of the lone chair in the cluttered lab.   
"Do you know when he'll be back?"   
"Tatsumi? Who knows. There should be some snacks around here somewhere."   
"Sweet ones, I hope!"   
"Of course!" Watari laughed without turning away from his preparations. Tsuzuki eyed the lab curiously - who knew what strange potions had been secretly added to any snacks casually laying about, waiting for the unwary. Then again, the other _shinigami_ had to eat occasionally, too. And the rice puffs in a grey bowl looked innocuous enough. They also tasted like fish eyes and pork rinds.   
"Gah, what kind of snacks _are_ these?"   
"Aa, Tsuzuki!" Watari cried as he turned around. "Those are _owl_ snacks!"   
"Well they taste terrible!"   
"003 likes them. Now sit and tell me what happened."   
"_Hai, hai_, but it's not really that interesting. I don't mind backlogged cases so much, but it's been six months. And then there were these giant robots who could see us even though we should have been undetectable to mortals."   
"_Hai_, the Cybertrons."   
"What? You knew too??"   
"Of course. The international bureaus have been complaining about them for months. As if we had any sort of control over such things. . . ."   
"Why weren't we told?!"   
"**I** only know because I _made_ Tatsumi tell me. The deaths have been relatively few; Konoe-kachou didn't think it important. War casualities don't need to be investigated by these offices. But this information, that they can perceive us even when we would prefer to remain hidden . . . this is troubling. . . ."   
"And our case is unresolved; Tatsumi sent us back because these robots - Cybertrons? - were disorienting Hisoka so badly he could hardly see."   
"Bon? Is he okay?"   
"He says he'll be fine, though I'll feel better about that when he actually _is_."   
"Oh good. That poor boy gets into more trouble. . . ."   
"Yes. It's a good thing he has me around to look after him."   
Watari only smiled as he refilled their teacups, a silent invitation to stay longer. Oddly enough, the lab felt peaceful, restful. Until Tatsumi returned, it wasn't like Tsuzuki had anything pressing to do. If Watari didn't mind his company. . . . Tsuzuki picked up his teacup with a smile.   
  
  
It had been such a good day, too. A solid night of sleep, no Decepticon activity all day . . . Optimus Prime hadn't even had his usual argument with his brother, Ultra Magnus. And then Hot Shot walked into his office, REV trailing behind with a steaming carafe and a tray of snacks. _So much for having a good day_, he thought to himself sourly.   
"This is going to be bad news, isn't it?"   
"Now why would you think that?" REV asked with forced cheerfulness.   
"Because bad news always comes on Fridays," he replied dryly. "Because you rarely _both_ come to report something, particularly not when your schedule indicates routine patrol. Because I've learned not to trust messengers bearing gifts. But most of all, because I was having a good day."   
"Such a cynical worldview. . . ."   
"Okay, then tell me I'm wrong. Please."   
"I only wish I could," Hot Shot sighed as he sank into one of the chairs across from him. REV set his tray down, helped himself to a mug, and then settled in the other chair.   
"All right, what happened? My brother?"   
"Scourge _did_ try to kill Koji again, but apparently Magnus had been following him. Scourge isn't really the problem, however. . . ."   
"So this isn't _just_ bad news, it's _really_ bad news?"   
"Sorry I'm late!" Crosswise apologized as he hurried into the office. "Research took a little longer than expected."   
"Research?"   
"What do you know of the _shinigami_?" Hot Shot asked pragmatically.   
"The who?" Optimus responded with a hidden frown; he had the distinct feeling that his language buffer should have translated that last word for him.   
"That's what I thought," the black Spychanger commander chuckled. "That's why I asked Crosswise to join us, after he did a little research, of course."   
"Then please enlighten us, Crosswise."   
"Certainly sir. The _shinigami_ are agents of the afterlife, charged with investigating anomalies in the death rate and conducting lost souls to Juuohcho. There are eighteen _shinigami_ who oversee the ten districts of Japan via the Shokan Division, with additional Shokan bureaus for each of the other nations."   
"This is fascinating I'm sure, Crosswise, but what does it have to do with us?"   
"A pair of _shinigami_ were dispatched to investigate why Koji isn't dead . . . and to take him back to Meifu," Hot Shot reported quietly, his tone almost masking his unease. Silence fell over the room and for the first time in years, Optimus Prime felt at a loss for words.   
"There must be some mistake," Crosswise said in disbelief. "Why would they want Koji? He's just a kid!"   
"A kid with a dangerous lifestyle. To be honest, sir, he's been lucky to live this long."   
"That may be, but I'm not willing to just accept this."   
"Sir, I spoke with one of the _shinigami_. There really isn't anything we can do to stop them. Tatsumi-san had Scourge completely immobilized."   
"Ultra Magnus _did_ break free," REV added, "but we have no way of knowing if he could do it again."   
"Hot Shot, if you think I'm going to just sit here and do nothing. . . ."   
"With respect, sir, I don't see where there's anything we can do. I have no reason to doubt that Tatsumi-san could have killed Scourge had your brother not intervened."   
"He did _what_?!"   
"This entire conversation may be academic," REV sighed. "I came back because Magnus was watching the house, but the _shinigami_ . . . for all we know, they could have killed Koji by now."   
"No. Doctor Onishi would have contacted us if anything had happened."   
"That's not really my point, sir. . . ."   
"REV's right; the _shinigami_ are agents empowered with magic and abilities beyond those of normal humans. In a very real sense, they are the Hand of Death, sir, and they will not be long denied by anyone or anything. The more we fight them, the more destructive they will become to achieve their goal. And if this pair has any _shikigami_ to aid them. . . . Sir, this is one battle we can't win."   
"Dammit, Crosswise, that's not acceptable!"   
"Sir . . . we don't have a choice."   
  
  
"When I get my hands on that human. . . !"   
Scourge had been ranting since he came back to the base, though Mega-Octane had yet to figure out exactly what had happened. Neither had he been particularly eager to ask; his commander and friend had a deserved reputation for his destructive rage. However, Scourge's ire had at least cooled somewhat - Mega-Octane no longer felt like the mere question would get him gutted, so perhaps it was a good time to ask. Carefully.   
"Koji? Or some other human germ?"   
"No, not the brat. What did that Autodolt call him? Tatsumi. I will make him pay for making me look weak in front of the mercenary!" Scourge vowed, punching his fist into the palm of his other hand. Mega-Octane hid a frown; what could a solitary human do? Even the Autobots' human pet, Koji, had only ever been little more than an annoyance, a burr in the system that they would eventually remove. Since it sounded very much like Scourge had once again failed to actually kill the charmed brat. . . .   
"Then the teen still lives. . . ?"   
"Not for long. And then I'll deal with that arrogant fleshling. That . . . _shinigami_."   
Mega-Octane flinched at the disgust and wrath Scourge poured into the last word. It wasn't a word he recognized, and that made him even more uneasy. Fortunately, he didn't have to leave his friend to research the foreign term. What he found, however, did not reassure him. » _shinigami_ (n)(Jap) - literally, "god of death." Shinigami are believed to conduct lost souls to the afterlife. Legendary masters of _fuda_ magic and the _shikigami_.   
» _shikigami_ (n)(Jap) - literally, "celestial gods." Shikigami are legendary animal spirits, reputed to serve and obey the _shinigami_ and capable of great destruction.   
_Is this for real? This sounds like human legend and fairtale. But where would he hear of such things? From those Autobots? From that human, Tatsumi? Just what the pit has he gotten into this time?_   
"Bah! Enough of this! First I'm killing that boy, then I'm finding that human and destroying him!"   
"Scourge. . . . Scourge. . . !"   
But the black mech ignored him, storming out of the base, intent on his objective. Unable to do anything to make his friend stop, Mega-Octane gave up and resigned himself to following. He only hoped they weren't getting into something more than they could handle.   
  
  
"I don't understand. If his name is on the _kiseki_, how has he managed to evade death so long? It's not like he's using magic to extend his life or anything like that."   
"Watari thinks it's the Cybertrons, the giant robots. Which makes sense. If he's being targeted. . . . Tatsumi said they really don't want the kid to die. I can't really blame them. To die so young. . . ."   
"It's doubtful he's just going to give up and die, not at his age. Any brilliant ideas on how to bring him back?"   
"_Fuda_," Tsuzuki murmured, the light fading from his eyes. Hisoka immediately regretted his tone - taking the life of an innocent always made Tsuzuki feel incredibly guilty. It was their job to resolve anomalies in the _kiseki_ and bring back those who had evaded death. Tsuzuki knew that; he had been a _shinigami_ for over seventy-five years. Still, each death hurt as though it was the first.   
"I had a feeling you two would be back."   
Hisoka double checked, but he was still supposedly undetectable by normal mortals. At least he had thought to strengthen his shields before they had returned to Chijou. Still, even the muted emotions coming from the blue and white car carrier felt strange.   
"_Hai_, Ultra Magnus-san. It is our job."   
"Of course."   
They both waited for the vehicle to become his true robot self, to challenge them in some way, but nothing happened. Hisoka wondered just what sort of game these Cybertrons were playing now.   
"They're all asleep right now. Probably your best chance to take him without complications. People die in their sleep all the time. . . ."   
"Wha-what?" Hisoka stuttered. "Aren't you going to try to stop us?"   
"Why?"   
"What game are you Cybertrons playing now?!" Tsuzuki demanded, covering his surprise and confusion with anger. Hisoka shivered at the empathic assault as the vehicle before them suddenly flew apart and rearranged itself to become a giant robot. He remembered this one now: the divine warrior lit from within by righteous wrath. The power of it stole his breath away, chilling and yet burning to the bone at the same time.   
"We are called Autobots, and there is no game," the robot rumbled, his entire presence taking on a darker tone; rage barely contained battered against Hisoka's shields but he forced them to stay up, forced himself to hear out the robot. "As I told your supervisor, war means death. Sometimes innocents get in the way. I'm a general - I know the price of war. Moreover, I am ignoring my brother's tacit wishes to give you this chance to do your job unhindered. And _still_ you insist on insulting me? I'm running out of patience with you . . . _shinigami_."   
The sneer in the robot warrior's voice made Hisoka's hackles bristle, his shields gaining strength from his own anger. From the strip of _ofuda_ in Tsuzuki's hand, his partner wasn't particularly impressed either. The massive cannon that suddenly appeared, braced against the robot's right shoulder, did not improve matters.   
"Don't think I won't defend myself. Primus, you two must be thick. Just do your job and get out of here."   
"Tsuzuki-san! Hisoka-san! Wait! Tsuzuki-san!!"   
"What the . . . a floating chicken in a _yukata_?"   
"Gushoshin!"   
"Tsuzuki-san! Is the teen still alive?"   
"What? Gushoshin, what are you doing here?"   
"Tsuzuki-san, this is very important! Is he still alive?"   
"Yes, but--"   
"Oh good! When Tatsumi-san said you were here to finish the job. . . ."   
"Gushoshin, what's going on?"   
"You can't kill him, Tsuzuki-san."   
"What? Why not? //_Not that I'd mind, but. . . ._//"   
"I don't know."   
". . . ."   
"Gushoshin, is this boy's name on the _kiseki_ or not?"   
"It is, Hisoka-san . . . but Tsuzuki-san can't kill him."   
"Not to be overly pragmatic," Ultra Magnus interrupted, suddenly interjecting himself into the conversation as he plucked Gushoshin out of the air, "but if your people want this kid's soul . . . he's not going to sleep forever. Especially not with you squawking outside his window. Make up your mind and let these two kids do their job!"   
"I am _not_ a kid!" Hisoka spat back.   
"I was leading battles while your _species_ was still huddling in caves," Magnus snarled in response.   
"Onishi-kun is on the kiseki," Gushoshin explained, even though it wasn't entirely clear if Ultra Magnus was still listening. "But Tsuzuki-san musn't kill him. At least, we're pretty sure he can't. But we think Hisoka-san should be able to do the job for him . . . maybe. . . ."   
"Wha-what?" Hisoka sputtered. "Why?"   
"Because it's a trap! It has been from the very beginning. If Tsuzuki-san kills the boy, the curse we found will activate! It could be the end of everything!"   
"Then it's a good thing no one's killing anyone. Right, Magnus?"   
//_"Who is this guy?"   
"Why couldn't someone tell us about this curse sooner?"_//   
"I warned you," the larger robot grumbled, releasing Gushoshin. "You should have listened to me, _shinigami_. And you . . . you shouldn't have come here, brother."   
"You know how I feel. . . ."   
"You always were an idealist."   
"What is it with you Cybertrons . . . Autobots . . . whatever! Just who do you think you are, anyway? Telling us what we can and cannot do. We're _shinigami_! We'll do as we please!"   
"Hisoka-san!"   
The larger robot, Ultra Magnus, actually laughed at his words, but the emotions coming from him were not mocking. He was amused, there was no denying that, but there was also a vague sense of respect and . . . admiration? The stream of dark emotion from the towering robot cut off suddenly, replaced with respect for someone willing to stand up for themselves even when the opponent could literally squash them without thinking.   
"Magnus. . . ."   
"What, angry because they say things you do not like? Or because you know you're powerless to stop them? Go on, boy, do your job."   
"But the curse," Gushoshin murmured. "Shouldn't we investigate?"   
"A curse keyed to Tsuzuki can only mean one thing," Hisoka murmured in response, turning to his partner with worried eyes. They had known the bastard wasn't dead, but after years of silence, he knew they had both been hoping he had given up on them.   
"Muraki." 


	2. Seijaku no Tenshi

  
**Author's Note:** Well, we've had the set-up, now we get to the heart of the matter. I know this is a really weird crossover, but then that was rather the point. Also, //(text)// indicates person-to-person commlink conversation.   
**Warnings:** Angst, a giant alien sanctimonious twit, a pissy computer, and Muraki being, well, himself. ~_^   
**Disclaimer:** _Yami no Matsuei_ belongs to Matsushita Yoko and RiD belongs to Hasbro/Takara. I have no claim to anything except the plot.   
  


**Silver Sakura**   
_Chapter 2: Seijaku no Tenshi   
(trans: Angels of the Silences)_

  
Teleportation was a magical ability requiring a great deal of skill and concentration; only the most talented could ever hope to successfully teleport into a moving vehicle. Particularly when the vehicle was a tanker truck roaring down the freeway at eighty miles per hour. 

"Ah, Scourge-san. In a bit of a hurry?"

"Muraki. What do you want? I'm busy."

"Really, I'm surprised at you, Scourge-san. Have you decided to renege on our bargain?

Scourge jolted to a sudden halt as he slammed on his brakes, nearly causing an multi-car accident. Muraki, however, appeared to be completely unbothered by the sudden stop, or his being thrown against the steering column.

"What did you say?"

"Given our current results, I assume you are no longer interested in our . . . arrangement."

"You arrogant son of a --!"

"Scourge!"

The black Decepticon flicked his sensors outward, momentarily annoyed to find that he had been followed. Fortunately, Mega-Octane was alone. The other Decepticon slowed considerably before nudging his trailer, pushing Scourge forward at a gentle idle.

"As much as I appreciate you finally listening to me and letting me catch you, if you don't start moving again, those annoying Autobots are likely to show up. And I'm really not in the mood today."

"What do you have to be annoyed about?" he grumbled, gradually rejoining the steady flow of traffic. Muraki's silence irritated him almost as much as the man's mere presence. In the six months since their bargain, Scourge had seen little of the man and heard even less. Muraki's absence would not have been so bothersome if not for the fact that the bargain was going nowhere as a result.

"You might be surprised. Now where are we going?"

Scourge had almost forgotten Mega-Octane was still following him. As he wasn't particularly interested in taking Muraki to Koji's house, he pulled into an empty school parking lot. An oil tanker in a school yard was hardly inconspicuous, but at three in the morning he couldn't be bothered to care.

"Out," he growled to his passenger, opening his door at the same time. The silver-haired man said nothing as he descended. Scourge could almost feel Mega-Octane's shock and disgust at the revelation that he had been carrying a passenger.

"I believe introductions are in order, Scourge-san," Muraki murmured as he casually removed his glasses to clean them with a soft cloth.

"Muraki, Mega-Octane, my second in command. Mega-Octane, Muraki Kazutaka, a doctor with . . . unusal talents."

"A pleasure, Mega-Octane-san."

"Hmph."

"All right, Muraki, what do you want? And don't bother with the reneging slag; you're the one who hasn't been around in three months."

"Yes, well," the doctor said quietly, replacing his glasses but not looking at either of the two robots behind him. "I'm afraid I was unavoidably detained in Kyoto. The price of being a doctor, I suppose."

Scourge was tempted to draw his sword and slice the arrogant human open from his navel to his throat. But he knew from experience that Muraki's powers were considerable - in their last battle, they had been evenly matched. Muraki's powers could be helpful in acheiving his own personal goals and Scourge was not one to squander opportunities. Of course, once Ultra Magnus was dead, Scourge would have no further use for the man. Whatever magic the man possessed, he was still only human.

"Answer his question, human," Mega-Octane growled warningly.

"Are all your associates so ill-mannered, Scourge-san?"

"I grow weary of your games, Doctor. . . ."

"Your progress has been far from encouraging, Scourge-san."

"I already told you, if you want an Autobot, I'll help you flush them out, but you can damn will capture them yourself. You've already squandered a dozen opportunities."

"Warriors don't intereste me. Their scientist, Crosswise. He is the one I need."

"I'm getting a little tired of doing all this work and seeing nothing from you in return."

"You do nothing you would not have done had we never met, Scourge-san," Muraki replied calmly, at last turning around to face him. "Really, do you take me for a fool? Do not trivialize my power simply because I am human. . . ."

"Is there a point to this or are you simply here to assign blame?"

"Your frontal assaults have been of little use, Scourge-san. Perhaps it is time for a change in tactics. . . ."

"Just what are you suggesting, you puny --"

//Enough, Mega-Octane.// Scourge warned through their internal radios.

//Why are we having anything to do with this human?!//

//He's an arrogant slag-sucking bastard . . . but we have a deal. As long as we do, he still has some value to us.//

Scourge could tell that Mega-Octane was not satisfied with his explanation, but the other Decepticon let it go. He himself was not particularly satisfied with their situation either and the knowing smirk on Muraki's face wasn't helping.

"Speak plainly, Muraki, or be gone."

"Information is power, Scourge-san. I have information you want, you can get the information I need."

"More bargaining, Muraki?"

"The same bargain, Scourge-san. In the end, what benefits me benefits you as well."

"Your love of words will mean nothing if I choose to leave you here, Muraki."

"So impatient," the human sighed, pulling off his glasses as he turned aside once more. "Even if I were able to access the Autobot computer, I very much doubt they keep their files in Japanese. You said you would help me capture an Autobot, Scourge-san. Get me Crosswise-san's schedule and I will lead you to Ultra Magnus."

"You expect me to believe you?"

"I have no reason to lie, Scourge-san."

Scourge scowled behind his facemask; the bastard was probably right. If he did have some way of tracking Ultra Magnus. . . . In all of their encounters, they had always fought on the Autobot's terms. While Magnus seemed to have no difficulty finding him, Scourge had never been able to track the mercenary. That inability was more than enough to drive him to distraction, but perhaps now the tables could be turned.

"Rollbar, report."

"Rollbar here, sir."

"Infiltrate the Autobot mainframe and get me every scrap of information you can find on Crosswise. Strengths, weaknesses, patrol routes. Everything."

"Yes sir!"

"Thirty minutes, Doctor. If you have any preparations to make, I suggest you do so now,."

"Thirty minutes? Very well, Scourge-san, I will return then."

Muraki vanished as suddenly as he appeared. Scourge was only too glad to have him gone.

"Since when do we make deals with humans, Scourge?"

"Since they proved valuable. That self-righteous bastard probably has enough power to destroy us both, but if he can help us crush the Autobots. . . ."

"If that's true, what's to stop him from turning against us once he has his information?"

"He'll honor our deal. He needs us more than we need him."

Mega-Octane still wasn't satisfied, but Scourge knew his lieutenant would not press the issue any further. He turned his gaze up to the sky, frowning at the full moon the color of freshly spilled human blood. He had not seen the moon that shade at zenith before in the two years since he had been awakened and for some reason it deeply bothered him. When Mega-Octane joined his stargazing a moment later, he could feel his companion's unease as well.

"Blood moon at zenith. This bodes no good. For any of us."

"More stupid human superstition. . . ."

"This from the mech bent on destroying a shinigami. . . ."

"Hmph."

"Relax. We apparently have the time. . . ."

"You relax if you want. I have the mercenary's death to plan."

  
  
  
  


For a moment, Tsuzuki felt light-headed and his knees threatened to give out. Then he felt Hisoka's hand on his arm, silently offering his strength and understanding. Of course Hisoka understood; the doctor may have been hunting Tsuzuki for years, but Muraki had actually murdered Hisoka.

"It's okay, Tsuzuki. If Gushoshin's figured out the curse, we can work around it. Besides, you know Tatsumi-san would never let anything happen to either of us."

"Hai, of course. Sankyuu, Hisoka."

"Baka," his partner murmured without malice. "I just . . . I don't know the fuda for this. . . ."

"That could be a problem," Tsuzuki said with a slight smile, playfully ruffling Hisoka's hair as he felt his mental equilibrium returning. "Don't worry. As long as he's already asleep, it's an easy matter."

"But Tsuzuki-san," Gushoshin interrupted, "we don't know that Hisoka-san's fuda won't activate the curse, only that yours definitely will. I need more time to study this and consult with Watari-san."

"I guess that makes sense, right Hisoka? Hisoka?"

But his partner wasn't paying attention; his eyes, like those of the two giant robots, were focused on the moon overhead. A blood red moon.

"Shimatta!"

"First the curse, now the moon. . . . I have a very bad feeling about this. . . ."

"You're not the only one, Gushoshin. Hisoka. . . ."

"Hold on, what's all this about a curse? Who is this Muraki person and what does he have to do with Koji?"

Tsuzuki studied the large red robot, weighing how much to tell him about the man who was likely behind Koji's impending death in the first place. They would probably argue that they had a right to know, but who would truly wish to know all the things Muraki was capable of doing? Knowing wouldn't help anything and telling them would only make trouble.

"The details aren't important," Hisoka said dismissively, answering for him. "He's been setting up these sorts of traps for years, we just got careless. Muraki's intentions don't change the case, just the way we handle it."

"And what are you going to do?" Ultra Magnus asked, forestalling any comments from his brother.

"We'll take him back to Meifu. . . ."

"Out of the question."

"Optimus, stop being a selfish bastard. All you're doing is. . . ."

". . . is waking up the entire neighborhood. Optimus, Magnus. I'm quite interested in hearing what the two of you are doing arguing out here at three in the morning."

"Trying to --" but the red robot was interrupted by his brother suddenly grabbing his hand and dragging him up into the sky. Tsuzuki watched in disbelief as the two robots merged into one and then just hung in the air.

"Dad? What's going on?"

"I don't know, son, but from the looks of it, Optimus and Magnus are still arguing over the details."

"I wonder if it has to do with the people across the street. . . ."

"Who?"

"Right over there. They're even headed this way."

"Koji, are you feeling well? There's no one there."

"Actually," Tsuzuki sighed as he made the mental shift that would make him visible to normal mortals, "there is. You are the boy's father, then?"

"Y-yes. You are?"

"It's not important. I'm very sorry to do this," Tsuzuki murmured. He pressed a slip of ofuda to the man's head and murmured "sleep," catching him before he could fall to the ground. The look of terror in the boy's eyes, however, made him want to cry.

"Who . . . who are you? What do you want with my father? Did Megatron send you?"

"Koji . . . I'm sorry, we're not here for your father."

"Tsuzuki, they're coming - gah. Tsu . . . zu. . . ."

"Hisoka?!" he cried as he hurriedly set down the elder Onishi. Hisoka had collapsed to his knees, his whole body shaking as the first faint outlines of the curse he still carried began to appear on his body.

"Tsuzu . . . ki," his partner rasped, his breathing labored as the curse flared, trying to choke the life out of his young partner. A shinigamicouldn't truly die from asphyxiation, but it still wasn't a pleasant sensation. He pulled Hisoka into a tight hug, trying to use the empath's own abilities to calm him.

"Is he. . .?"

The robots. Everything was happening at once, spiraling out of his control.

"Onishi-sensei is only asleep. I need to take Hisoka back to Meifu. Watch the kid - if Hisoka's curse is acting up, then Muraki is on the move. Whatever he wants, you must not let him get ahold of Koji again."

"Again? Wait, Tsuzuki-san, what do you mean by again?!"

No time, for anything, he cursed silently. Focusing his will, he held Hisoka tightly and transported them both back to Juuohcho. There was never enough time.

  
  
  
  


Release me, Magnus.

No. You'll only do something stupid.

"Omega Prime? Wha-what's going on? Who was that guy? What did he do to my dad?"

"Your father is fine, Koji; it's not his time yet."

"That guy, Tsuzuki-san . . . he's the Angel of Death, isn't he?"

Magnus harshly pushed down his brother's denials. Forcing the fusion through Optimus's very active protests was making it hard to do anything else, but he didn't dare release the other mech. No one wanted to know in advance that they were going to die, especially not a child. Optimus was so convinced that he could win against the shinigami that he wasn't thinking clearly anymore.

Dammit Optimus, stop fighting me! You heard Tsuzuki - that Muraki person is on the move. I may not know anything about him, but if the shinigami says it's vital he doesn't get his hands on Koji, then I'm inclined to agree!

Since when do you care, brother?

Now you're starting to sound like me. . . .

This is no time for jokes! Those shinigami want to kill Koji! How do we know we can trust them?

It's better than taking our chances with the one who cursed the kid in the first place! Or did you forget about that little fact?

"Omega Prime?"

"No, he's no angel. And contrary to what Optimus may think, he's trying to protect you."

"Ultra Magnus?"

"T-AI, open the spacebridge. If this Muraki wants you, I intend to prevent it."

"But my father . . . oh," the boy said, watching as he picked up the older Onishi. Koji didn't say anything, just followed as they walked into the tunnel.

Magnus. . . .

Promise you won't say a word about the shinigami. . . .

Magnus. . . .

Swear by the Matrix. Otherwise it's a long walk back to base.

I swear by the Matrix, I won't say more than you.

Ultra Magnus carefully set down Doctor Onishi, then released his hold on his brother. A last stab of anger and then the fusion dissolved, leaving him alone in his own body.

"Shall we?" Optimus invited, obviously talking to Koji. "Magnus, perhaps you should go back to your stakeout?"

"Uh, actually Optimus, if it's not a big problem, I'd like to ride back with Ultra Magnus."

Magnus stared down at Koji in disbelief. Everyone knew he didn't like the teen or approve of the way he was dragged into nearly everything. It made no sense that the kid would volunteer to spend more time with him, yet that was exactly what he was doing.

"Well, if you're sure . . . I'll take your father on ahead then, Koji."

"Thanks Optimus," Koji chirped before turning an expectant look on Ultra Magnus. Choking down an irritated sigh, he transformed and popped open a door.

"Come on, kid, let's go," he grumbled, barely waiting for the boy to sit down before driving down the tunnel back to headquarters.

"Magnus, what's going on? And why are you and Optimus arguing? I know you think I'm just a stupid kid, but . . . I don't want to lose my dad again."

"The shinigami don't want your father, kid. They've been after Muraki for a long time. . . ."

"But what does that have to do with me? Who is Muraki?"

"Kid, if you keep asking me questions, I'm liable to tell you something you don't want to hear."

"That's why I'm asking you, Ultra Magnus. I know you won't lie to try and make me feel better."

"There are some things even I won't tell you."

"I'm going to die, aren't I? No, you don't have to say anything. You called them shinigami. What could they want with me if it wasn't my death?"

Magnus didn't say anything as they rolled into the command center. What could he say? Tsuzuki was trying to protect the teen from this Muraki person, but in the end, the shinigami would take Koji's soul. It was entirely possible that they would even use this new threat to further justify killing him quickly. Lying to a kid didn't exactly rest well with his sense of honor. Fortunately, their arrival at the command center meant he didn't have to say anything as he let Koji descend from his cab before transforming.

"All right, Magnus, now what? I assume you have a plan. . . ."

"Now we wait and --"

"Ohayou, Cybertrons!"

Magnus frowned down at the strange human who had just . . . appeared in their command center. The long blonde hair and the even longer white lab coat only added to his strange appearance. Amber eyes crinkled into a ready smile behind thin round glasses and a tiny brown owl perched on this shoulder, cooing its own greeting. But the most unusual thing about him was the fact that he was floating eight meters off the ground. From the greeting, he had to be shinigami - only they ever called the Autobots "Cybertrons."

"Who . . . who are you?" Koji asked, apparently recovering his power of speech first. "And how are you . . . floating???"

"Ah, Onishi-kun!" the stranger exclaimed, descending to the boy's level. "Good, I was right. How do you feel? Fever? Headache? Nausea? Strange, burning rashes?"

"Er, ah, no . . . I-I feel fine, really. . . ."

"Really? Perfectly normal? Not the least bit ill?"

"H-hai. Perfectly normal."

"Strange. I thought for sure you'd be feeling something," the blonde mused, hovering in a rather thoughtful pose.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" T-AI demanded archly. "And how did you get in here? This base is secured against all outside invaders; I see to it myself!"

"T-AI-chan! Excellent, excellent. Oh, I suppose I should introduce myself, ne? Watari Yutaka, shinigami of the 6th Block. Bon insisted he didn't need my help, so I came here. The way his curse was acting . . . but no matter. Just another challenge to sort!"

"I'm so lost," Koji sighed. T-AI appeared almost as confused.

"That isn't much of an explanation, Watari-san," Magnus murmured, hoping to forestall any ugliness on the part of either his brother or their odd base computer. The grinning shinigami floated up to a comfortable conversation height, his owl flying beside him.

"Aa, I know, Magnus-san," he replied with a wink, "but a shinigami mustn't reveal all his secrets at once, ne? Bon wasn't up for a briefing and Tsuzuki is hopeless when he's that worried about someone, so how about you filling me in, hmm?"

"Wait!" T-AI cried shrilly. "You . . . you can't just come in here and demand information without explaning yourself!"

"Demand?" Watari asked, his expression hardening for a fraction of a second, frowning at the hologirl before turning his attention back to Ultra Magnus. "Did I demand anything, Magnus-san?"

"I'm sure T-AI meant no offense, Watari-san," Optimus soothed. "But perhaps you could explain how you found us? The only way to access this base is through the spacebridge - even the Decepticons have yet to gain access through alternate means."

"Oh, that was easy. Tsuzuki's fuda leaves a distinctive trace marker behind, one that I can track, for a short time anyway. It seemed safe to assume he would be with his father, so here I am! Very impressive base, by the way. Quite nice. Where's your lab?"

"What do you need with our lab?" T-AI asked suspiciously. Quite against all logic, Ultra Magnus found himself liking the unusual man. His genkigrin, the way he appeared to randomly flit from one train of thought to the next . . . he had Optimus and T-AI both completely off balance, and that generally wasn't very easy to do.

"Well, I can't very well research a curse without a lab. But I suppose I wouldn't have to use yours. I can always take him back to Meifu with me. . . ."

Even though the blonde shinigami was still smiling jovially, there was a certain hardness in his eyes that suggested he was very serious. Extra points for you, Watari-san, Magnus thought to himself with a wry grin of his own. He had not only caught Optimus unprepared, but in a nice double bind, as well.

"C-curse? What curse? What does it have to do with me?"

"Oya . . . you didn't tell him?"

"How do you tell a child he is going to die and nothing you can do will change that?"

"Magnus!"

"True, true. I'm sorry you have to find out this way, douji. Magnus-san is right; a child, even one as old as you, shouldn't have to know in advance that he's going to die, particularly not like this. Gomen, but this curse has nothing to do with you, I'm afraid, and everything to do with us."

"I still don't understand."

"I would call it random chance, but Muraki doesn't believe in leaving things to chance. Now then, about that lab. . . ."

"Crosswise will be here soon," T-AI informed them calmly. "In fact, here he is now."

"You sent for me, Optimus?"

"A change in your schedule, Crosswise. Please escort Koji and Watari-san to your lab and assist with his research."

"Aye, sir. This way, please."

"Magnus. . . ."

Ultra Magnus stood rigid, silently watching the Spychanger scientist escort human and shinigami to his lab. He had a fair idea what his brother wanted to discuss, not that there was really anything left to say. And that irritated him.

"I know you don't care for Koji, but . . . why aren't you fighting this? You were a decorated general in the civil wars. How can you just stand aside and watch an innocent die?"

"Don't you ever get tired of being a sanctimonious twit? I survived the civil wars by knowing when a battle was won and when it was time to retreat. You have to pick your battles if you're going to survive and frankly, this is one I intend not to fight."

"I never though of you as a coward."

"No? Well I've always known you were too damned self-righteous for your own good."

Magnus didn't bother waiting for his brother's outraged reply before leaving the command center. He still had questions for the shinigami, but first he had personal business to attend.

  
  
  
  


Watari looked around in open amazement. Titanium alloy construction, embedded black touch-screen computer panels down the length of the corridor, a clean, crisp feel, and no sign of the sensor arrays that doubtlessly littered the stretch of corridor. He was flying in a technological marvel and it was all he could do to stay focused on his task.

"Watari-san, would you be a friend of Doctor Onishi then?"

"Hmm? Oh, er, actually . . . no. Never met the man."

"Then how is it you're here, especially at this hour? And what sort of research are you conducting?"

"Aa, I suppose I could introduce myself, ne Crosswise-san?" Watari chuckled, floating up to Crosswise's shoulder for easier of conversation. "Watari Yutaka, mechanical engineer, research scientist, experimental chemist, and shinigami of the 6th Block. I'll be investigating the nature of bocchan's curse."

"There's a curse now?"

"Hai, a trap curse. Careful study may allow us to unravel it's secrets, but I'll admit I don't hold out much hope of that. Muraki is not unskilled in spellcraft; I may well have to content myself with finding the extent of the trap and circumventing it."

"Sounds like an awful lot of trouble for someone he doesn't even know," Crosswise murmured.

"Gushoshin believes the point of the curse was to trap Tsuzuki. That, of course, is were I come in - to determine if he's right or if there's something larger at work."

"Hmm . . . well, I'm not sure what I can do to help, but here's my lab."

"What troubles me," he confessed, feeling remarkably at ease with the giant robot, "is the targeting of your friend. If it were anyone else, I would call it random chance. But Muraki is too methodical for that. He's up to something . . . and we mustn't let him get his hands on Onishi-kun again."

"Again? Then you think he's already had Koji once before?"

"Quite likely, though I can understand if you find that hard to believe. In most cases, one has to be very close to cast a curse, particularly one at this probable level of complexity. It wouldn't have to have been very long, but. . . ."

Watari inspected the lab, but aside from a couple familiar shapes, he felt at a loss. 003 hooted reassuringly, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before settling on a gas chromatographer. He knew what to do in his Meifu lab, but here. . . . Well, that was why the Cybertron was there, to help, right?

"So, where do we begin, Watari-san?"

"Well, ordinarily I'd start with a spectrograph of his aura, but I wouldn't know where to begin with your equipment, Crosswise-san."

"Crosswise is fine. And if his aura is within the range of standard EM emissions, this spectroscope can capture it."

"Of course, of course . . . everything looks so different. But then of course it would, being built to your standards, rather than human ones. T-AI-chan, how detailed are your security records?"

"Every event that occurs within the confines of this base is recorded," the hologirl informed him primly, appearing beside what was presumably the lab's main computer terminal. "Records are then reviewed weekly for security value and filed or purged appropriately."

"Not what I meant, but good to know. What is your recording resolution?"

"Realtime three-dimensional holographic reproduction with a differential wavelength resolution of point zero-zero-one microns."

"Hmm, that may just be enough for a proper baseline extraction. Crosswise, if you could help me set up the equipment. . . ?"

"Here, Koji, lay down and go back to sleep. No sense in you being awake through all this."

"Hai, hai, bocchan. Sleep. This will be easier if your waking mind can't interfere in the results."

He could tell Koji was completely confused, but the youth was also very tired and quickly fell asleep. After careful explanations of the equipment and the computer functions from Crosswise, Watari happily set about programming the complex filters needed to reveal Koji's aura. A delicate process, to be sure, but one fairly easily achieved, if one knew what one was doing. Unfortunately, the raw scan revealed nothing he didn't already know. A curse that would ensnare the fuda user who triggered it, he recognized the mark of Muraki's hand, but it was only the barest trace. Not that it surprised Watari; indeed, the challenge would be enjoyable.

"So what are we looking at here, Watari-san?"

"Hmm? Ah, raw aura scan. See these thin swirls of color? Those are the traces of the curse."

"These here? Barely visible to the human eye?"

"Hai. If I didn't know to look for them. . . . This is why Muraki is so difficult; he is extremely skilled and well practiced in his craft. It is only his arrogance that gives us any opening. Fortunately, I should be able to map out the extent of this particular cure with the right filters and transformations."

Watari was halfway through the first transformation when a familiar voice interrupted his calculations.

"Watari-san, what progress with your research?"

"Magnus-san! We're only just beginning, I'm afraid. But perhaps you can help me with another piece of this puzzle. What special powers does this Onishi-kun have?"

"None; to my knowledge he's just a normal human teen, bad attitude and all."

"That can't be," Watari muttered, pausing in his calculations to frown up at the two robots. "Muraki's strength comes from his power to make the spiritual energies of his victims his own through the blood rite he uses when killing them. He's been doing this for years - it's why he's so hard to kill. Unless he was particularly low on energy, there'd be no point in choosing a talentless victim - nothing to feed him save raw lifeforce. And if he was that desparate, he wouldn't be drawing this out so long."

"You said it was a trap curse. Random bait?"

"Even that makes little sense. If not for the involvement of your kind, Tsuzuki would never have been involved with your friend there."

"Which suggests he targeted Koji specifically, suspecting his death would get hung up in the system because of us," Crosswise said quietly. "But why involve us at all? Seems like rather a dangerous risk to take."

"Attempting to trace the lines of Muraki-san's logic is an exercise in futility."

"Aa, Tatsumi-san. Following me again, ne? How's Bon?"

"Asleep. . . ."

Watari winced in annoyance as the rest of Tatsumi's words were lost in the shrill whine of alert klaxons.

"T-AI!" Crosswise shouted over the din. "Belay intruder alert for Lab Three!"

"Intruder verified in Lab Three. Additional unknown signatures detected in corridor 18-02-23."

"Guess T-AI-chan doesn't like you, Tatsumi," Watari murmured with an amused wink.

"I'm more concerned with our other intruders . . . particularly since that's two corridors over. T-AI, I need specifics."

"I'm trying, Ultra Magnus, but the signatures won't resolve! It's like something's interfering with the sensors."

Watari cast a worried look at his pseudo-partner, not at all eased to see his suspicions echoed in those sapphire eyes.

"Muraki!"

"No way. Not possible! No human can do this sort of thing!"

"Do you know of anyone else who could?" Tatsumi asked coolly.

"The shinigami are right. Crosswise, stay with Koji and don't let him go, no matter what!"

"I'll stay here, Seiichirou," Watari said quietly. "I'm not much good in a fight, really, and if it comes to it, I can always take him to Meifu."

"I'll see to it that isn't necessary," Tatsumi murmured, his usually harsh eyes softening for a fraction of a second. Then he and the much larger Ultra Magnus were gone. 


	3. Zetsubou no Shinen

  
**Author's Note:**   
**Warnings:**   
**Disclaimer:** _Yami no Matsuei_ belongs to Matsushita Yoko and RiD belongs to Hasbro/Takara. I have no claim to anything except the plot.   
  


**Silver Sakura**   
_Chapter 3: Zetsubou no Shinen   
(trans: Thoughts of Hopelessness)_

Scourge was still pacing thoughtfully when the human named Muraki returned. Mega-Octane didn't trust the man, nor did he trust how readily Scourge was keeping up his end of the deal. 

"Scourge-san. . . ."

"Yes, yes. Rollbar will be here shortly. I'm sure you can wait a few moments longer."

"When you told me thirty minutes, Scourge-san. . . ."

"Rollbar will be here when he gets here, human," Mega-Octane grumbled. But even as he spoke, Movor dropped out of the upper atmosphere, transforming as he landed. He saluted crisply, but the subtle signs said he was dissatisfied with being there.

"Movor? Report."

"The information started changing just as he was about to log off," Movor explained. "Crosswise was supposed to have a patrol this morning, but it was cancelled at the last minute. Next scheduled patrol is tomorrow night. I downloaded the rest of the information to this disk."

"Well done, Movor. All right, doctor, you have the information you wanted. . . ."

"Yes, yes, of course, Scourge-san. Though I do hope you weren't planning on them joining us. . . ."

"And why not?" Scourge growled.

"They aren't part of the agreement, Scourge-san."

"Why you little --!"

"Now listen here, you --!"

"Mega-Octane, Movor, that's enough. You're treading a very fine line, Muraki. . . ."

"It was my understanding that you could handle Ultra Magnus by yourself, Scourge-san. Now you want help?"

"Stay here," Scourge commanded as he transformed. "I'll deal with the mercenary."

"Watch your back," Mega-Octane said quietly.

"You needn't worry yourself," Muraki said dismissively. He stepped up to the black tanker's cab, but rather than climbing behind the wheel, he drew out a thin slip of paper. Suspicious by nature, Mega-Octane didn't trust the doctor's actions for one minute. Hundreds of white feathers seemingly appeared out of nowhere to swirl around human and Decepticon alike. Scourge's form flared bright white and then both he and Muraki were gone.

  
  
  
  


White light flared around him, bleaching his sensors momentarily. When the afterimage cleared, Muraki was standing in front of him, studying their surroundings. He transformed as alert klaxons screamed to life; they were inside the Autobot's secret base.

"How did you. . . ?"

"What a troublesome boy," Muraki murmured. The doctor snapped his fingers and suddenly Scourge felt . . . disjointed. Worse. All of his sensors were snowed over in static so badly he couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. That traitorous meatsack!

"Fascinating,," the human mused. Scourge was surprised to discover that his audio receptors were the one system unaffected by whatever Muraki had done. He tried to speak, to reach out and squash the human, but his sensors were so muddled he couldn't move. Or perhaps he was moving and didn't realize it?

You'll pay for this, Muraki. No one betrays ME!

  
  
  
  


An ordinary man would have been intimidated by the sheer size of Ultra Magnus, to say nothing of his forceful presence. But then again, Tatsumi Seiichirou was hardly an ordinary man. Anger bubbled in the pit of his stomach for a brief moment before he pushed it aside. He didn't have time for anger or even concern for his partner and the charge they were protecting.

It was foolishness to protect someone marked for death but even greater foolishness to ignore the presence of Muraki's curse. His own shadow magic could likely kill the boy without activating the curse, but until the exact nature of it had been mapped, there was no way to know what would happen then.

"You seem to know this Muraki pretty well," the giant warrior rumbled as they hurried through the corridors of the Autobot base. "Who could be with him?"

"I don't know," he confessed in irritation. "It's not like him to work with anyone."

As they turned the corner, Ultra Magnus suddenly froze. The black robot Tatsumi recognized as Scourge was standing halfway down the corridor, unmoving. Muraki was standing in front of the robot, studying him speculatively. When the expected outburst from his companion didn't come, he frowned up at the white and blue robot. Like the black warrior opposite, Ultra Magnus appeared frozen in place, his optics dimmed to barely glowing gold. Something was very wrong.

"I do not know what you are planning, Muraki, but I will not allow you to trouble my employees any further!"

"Ah, Tatsumi-san, what an unexpected pleasure."

"Spare me your false pleasantries, Muraki, and leave this place at once!"

"Relentless as ever, I see," Muraki replied with a sick grin. "Very well. There's just one thing I need first. . . ."

"Never!" Tatsumi growled, throwing spears of shadow at the man. Muraki teleported away at the last instant, allowing the shadows to slice into Scourge's legs. The robot howled in pain, immediately drawing his sword, but Tatsumi was already teleporting back to the lab. He had been careless and overconfident, his own pride and honor giving Muraki the opening he had needed to escape.

Muraki was waiting for him, leering, as if mocking Tatsumi's own inability to stop him. Watari was standing firmly between Koji and the doctor, one hand on the teen's arm, poised to teleport away at any time.

"You can't have him!" Watari challenged. Muraki just laughed.

"You really think I'm here for that . . . boy?"

In a flutter of white feathers, Muraki reached out to touch the immobile Crosswise's leg. A flare of white light and both the doctor and the Autobot were gone.

"Shimatta! He played us! That bastard!"

"Wha - what happened? Tatsumi-san? Watari-san? Where's Crosswise?" T-AI asked as her hologram flickered to life.

"Gone," Watari fumed, the picture of impotent fury. "Muraki took him. That bastard played us for fools."

"We will find him, Watari," Tatsumi vowed in icy rage. "And when we do, he will pay dearly for his actions. . . ."

  
  
  
  


Reality snapped back with a surge of Matrix-energy at Scourge's pained yowl. In less than a millisecond, Ultra Magnus noted the absence of either human and proceeded to grab the black Decepticon around the throat, pulling him forward and off-balance. Scourge's sword clattered against the decking sharply, but the Decepticon ignored it to growl wordlessly at his rival.

"You have some nerve, coming here alone."

"This wasn't part of the plan. . . ."

"Being captured? No, I don't suppose it was," Ultra Magnus replied with a smirk.

"Stop pretending like you have the courage to kill me, Mercenary," Scourge sneered from behind his concealing facemask.

"What makes you think I won't?" he snarled in response, squeezing until the metal began to bend.

"Because . . . in your spark . . . you'll always be . . . a weakling Autobot . . . just like all the others. . . ."

"Keep pushing and you'll see just how wrong you are. . . ."

"Magnus!"

The towering Autobot froze in mid-squeeze, then turned his head ever so slightly to glance at the white samurai who had dared to stop him. Alone of all the Autobots, only Prowl could maintain such a look of cool expectation in the face of Ultra Magnus's obvious fury. The placid self-assurance of one who knew not to fear that rage.

"What do you want?"

"His confession of every crime, every sin, but I can't very well have that if you kill him first."

"As if I would ever tell you anything!" the Decepticon hissed.

"You will," Prowl threatened, "or we'll have T-AI run through every line of code in your core processor!"

"You wouldn't dare," Scourge snapped back. "You Autobots are too noble to sink that low."

"Your friend just played us all for fools and kidnapped Crosswise in the process. You have no idea just how far I will go. . . ."

"That bastard! When I get my hands on that treacherous little meatsack. . . !"

"Help us," Prowl said, his tone suddenly holding a hint of promise, "and you have more word, you'll be free to have that chance."

  
  
  
  


Even without Bon's empathic abilities, Watari could tell that the robots were upset. Furious would likely be a better word for it Angry growls, guttural hisses, vicious clicks, and sharp gestures all belied the emotion hidden by the expressionless faces of Optimus Prime, Hot Shot, and another blue and white Autobot he hadn't met before as the three argued in what he could only assume was their native language. They were discussing something quite heatedly, but it was impossible for him to tell who was winning the argument. If indeed anyone was winning at all. From what little he could tell of their body language, none of the three looked to be particularly happy with their respective positions.

"They're still at it?" Tatsumi murmured with a hint of disgust. "How can you work with them like that?"

"You might be surprised. Anything from the Gushoshin?"

"Tsuzuki-san and Kurosaki-kun are going to Kyoto to find out what, if anything, Mibu-san might know of these happenings. In the mean time, you are to continue researching Onishi-kun's curse. The curse is our priority; recovering Crosswise-san is their problem."

"And you help no one without some benefit to yourself, yes, I know," Watari mused, tinkering with another transformation filter. Despite what he had told Tatsumi, he had accomplished little while his partner had returned to Meifu. He made no claim to understand why the robots insisted on meeting and arguing within the lab's confines, but the anger was disruptive even without an understanding of the words and he feared he was no closer to unraveling the curse than he had been half an hour earlier.

"And the curse? What progress with that, Watari-san?"

"There you go with your formalities again," he said with a quiet sigh. "It would help if I had some sort of comparative reference, but you know how secretive Bon is about his own curse. At least Koji is still able to sleep. . . ."

"You'll find the answer," Tatsumi replied quietly, momentarily squeezing his shoulder in silent support and apology before leaving him to his work once more. Watari had to admit, he was impressed with the teen's ability to sleep through his friends' arguing. Then again, he was still laying in the cradle of the scanner, surrounded by equipment that was likely muting the sounds of the voices, if not blocking them out entirely.

When yet another filter failed to coax the elusive curse out of Koji's aura, Watari thumped his fists against the tabletop. He enjoyed a challenge, but this was becoming maddening. Some vital key was missing, he just needed to find it. What he really needed was a second pair of eyes. T-AI's speed made processing the filters wonderfully swift, far more so than if he was working with his own equipment, but she had no idea what she was processing. Unable to help him identify the traces he was seeking, she was also unable to offer any suggestion on how to proceed. It was in that capacity that he most missed the assistance of the Gushoshin.

"Excuse me . . . Watari-san?"

An orange and black robot, visored and obviously troubled, had paused to stand beside the terminal Crosswise had adapted for Watari's use. With the appearance of yet another Autobot he hadn't previously met, Watari had to wonder how many of them there were on Earth. And why he'd not heard of them in the human news, if they had been causing as much trouble as Tatsumi had led him to believe. Surely a war between two factions of aliens, particularly alien robots, would have garnered some attention. . . .

"Can I help you. . . ?" he asked, offering the robot a warm smile in spite of his growing exhaustion.

"Ah, my name's Daytonus. If they knew I was even thinking about this, they'd probably have my skid, but. . . . You know a lot of magic, right Watari-san?"

"Ah, well, that depends on what you mean. Theory, yes, and how different magics work. Mechanics, basically. But I don't know nearly as much fuda as Tsuzuki-san."

"But you could tell me what that spawn of the devil did to Cross and how far his magic could have taken him from here, right?"

"Anou . . . maybe to the first. As for the second . . . that this base exists on another plane of reality works against us. The distance becomes meaningless as there is no real distance between this place and any point on Earth. Muraki has previously restricted himself to Japan, but he could as easily go anywere in the world."

"Then . . . if I could get us close enough, could you counter whatever he's doing?"

"I . . . don't think so. Tsuzuki might know . . . if we could figure out what Muraki is doing. . . ."

"But?"

"But Crosswise is not the concern of the Shokan Division," Tatsumi supplied, stepping out of the shadows with a steaming mug of coffee. Hazelnut from the aroma, which only made Watari all the more aware of how long he had been awake already.

"So that's it? You don't care that it's your fault he's even been captured, as long as you get the human?"

"We are not a charity," Tatsumi replied coldly, making a minor adjustment to his glasses to keep from meeting the Autobot's visored gaze. Watari resisted the urge to smack his partner; he knew the man was not nearly as emotionless as he pretended, but the notion of working for nothing when the department was already so strapped for cash was not something the prim secretary of Enmacho could condone. Though, if Tatsumi did not mean for them to assist with Crosswise's rescue, it begged the question of why he had sent Tsuzuki and Hisoka to Kyoto in the first place.

"I'm not looking for charity, shinigami of Enmacho. Just some common decency and responsibility."

Watari watched in frustrated irritation as the orange and black Autobot joined the knot of his fellows at the other end of the lab. Whatever he was saying, and he felt confident he could make a fairly accurate guess, it wasn't being received very well by the other three, particularly Hot Shot.

"Seiichirou, if this is your way of getting back at them for all the trouble they've caused you the last couple of years, I'd say you've more than done it. It's dangerous, this game you play, to rouse them to such anger when you mean to help them in the end anyway."

"You presume too much . . . Yutaka."

He didn't like the pause before his name - it suggested they were going to be discussing this exchange in detail later. And likely in loud voices. Fighting with Tatsumi was a regular part of his life, but it didn't mean he enjoyed it. Particularly when it was as pointless as this.

A sudden increase in the discordant sounds of arguing Autobots drew Watari's attention back to the group at the other end of the room. Yet another robot of a size of the others save Optimus, who towered over the rest, had joined the argument, a vibrant yellow Autobot with an eagle pictogram on his chest. The discussion itself seemed to have shifted to be largely between Hot Shot, Daytonus, and this new robot. When the blue and white Autobot caught him watching, he broke away from the knot to walk over to him. Now that he was in motion, Watari could tell he was a seasoned warrior, stealthy and economical of movement inspite of the strange pinging gait from feet that looked incapable of supporting the robot's considerable weight.

"You shinigami are really something else, you know that?"

Between the glowing blue visor and the stark white faceplate, it was impossible for Watari to read much emotion off of the Autobot before him. Still, the anger in his voice was unmistakable.

"That sounds distinctly like an invitation to leave . . . wouldn't you agree, Watari-san?"

"You human gods . . . waltz into a place, get a 'bot kidnapped, rile up his partner, and then just walk away. . . ."

"If there's something you want. . . ."

"Don't even try that with me," the robot snarled, light glinting off his armor as he leaned closer to Tatsumi. "Daytonus did ask, and you brushed him off. If you're so serious about leaving the living to get on with their own problems, get the smeg out of here!"

Watari watched the shadows quiver a moment before a black snake of darkness slithered into the cradle of the scanner where Koji was sleeping. So much for taking advantage of superior computing power, he thought sourly. Offering a silent prayer that some force would intervene, he turned back to the terminal, preparing to transfer the data he had managed to collect to some portable form.

"That's not going to work," T-AI's voice chirped from behind him, startling him with her sudden appearance.

"What's not going to work?" he asked, his hand hovering over the 'burn disk' control.

"That. Unless I have a disk from your system, I can't gaurentee that the burn will be compatible."

"It's not like we run some exotic operating system, T-AI-chan. I only just coaxed a Linux machine out of Tatsumi last month, the miser. The rest of the department is stuck with Win98."

"Hmm . . . well, I'm not familiar with the Linux software protocols for this sort of analysis. I could translate the data into the Windows-compatible format, but you'd lose a lot of information. Almost be better to just restart the whole process with your own equipment."

"Except that I need the baseline scan in a mutable form so I can apply the filters for comparative analysis. Otherwise I might as well try finding a single grain of rice in a sandpit. And don't look at me like that, Tatsumi. It's not my fault my equipment is older than theirs."

"Are you now telling me you can't do this analysis in your own lab?"

"If Bon were willing to let me study his own curse - and we both know he won't - I might be able to circumvent the curse in a reasonable timeframe. Otherwise . . . without T-AI-chan's help, it could be months. She can process a transform on both scans simultaneously in two minutes; it takes my computer half an hour for each scan. So . . . can I do it on my own? Yes. Would it be practical? Well, I'll leave that to you to decide."

Tatsumi's eyes narrowed and Watari knew he had succeeded in adding another item to their argument agenda. Rescuing the coffee mug from the kagetsukai's grasp before the man could shatter it, he waited for his partner's verdict, even though he already knew what it would be. Time was money and Tatsumi was not one to waste either.

"Very well. I will be sure Tsuzuki-san and Kurosaki-kun join you when they are done in Kyoto."

The shadows quavered again momentarily and then the frigid master of the Shokan Division was gone once more. Letting out a relieved sigh, Watari then turned to T-AI and smiled.

"Thank you, T-AI-chan. You've been such a help already. . . ."

"It's just too bad I can't be a real help to him," the hologirl sighed, looking forlorn as she gazed at the sleeping teen. A strange reaction for a computer, but then T-AI was an altogether unusual computer. In light of everything else, Watari was not about to dismiss the possibility of a sentient computer having emotions.

"Fate works in strange ways," he said quietly, sipping the coffee. It had gotten tepid while Tatsumi had been holding it, but it still possessed enough caffeine to jumpstart his awareness. A poor substitute for a nap, but it would have to do.

"Mm, yes, that it does. Will you really do nothing to help us rescue Crosswise?"

"Oh no. But you might get billed later," he replied, winking at the hologirl.

"Billed?"

"For labor and manpower. Tatsumi rarely does anything for free. It's a circular argument, but . . . if I hadn't stayed here with the boy, as I understand it, Crosswise wouldn't have been captured. And while your power is making this hunt much faster than it would have been otherwise, the truth is, he probably should have ended things hours ago."

"I still don't think I understand . . . but I'm not sure I want to either."

"No, you probably don't. . . ."

  
  
  
  


Tsuzuki stood across the street from the Ko Kaku Rou with Hisoka, neither of them feeling particularly eager to approach the darkened doorstep. Only five in the morning, far too early for new customers to arrive, too late for any from the night before to yet remain. Tsuzuki had never actually seen the building before and it had been five years since Hisoka's duel with the owner, a duel that had allowed his young partner to save his life.

That was a long time ago, he told himself sternly. Things are different now. We're just following a lead. . . .

"Well . . . do we knock or just let ourselves in?" Hisoka asked quietly, trying not to fidget.

"We're not here for a client; we knock."

Even with such a decisive statement, Tsuzuki didn't feel particularly eager to confront the man who had tried to kill his partner. And that was who they were there to see. Mibu Oriya, owner of the Ko Kaku Rou and companion of Muraki Kazutaka. It was Hisoka who made the first move, hurrying across the rain-dampened street to rap his knuckles against the front door. Tsuzuki couldn't help but wonder if anyone would be able to hear the thin sound, surprised to find someone at the door almost immediately.

"We're closed," a stern-faced man said firmly. He would have closed the door on them had Hisoka not reached out to grab the door with one hand, waving a card of some sort with the other.

"We need to see the owner."

"At this hour? Are you out of your mind?"

"It won't take long, Shinji-kun," Hisoka said with surprising calm. "It's a matter of some urgency. . . ."

The doorman snorted, but opened the door for them, snatching the card out of Hisoka's hand as he led them through the empty restaurant and into the central garden yard. The man said nothing and Tsuzuki couldn't help but wonder not only how Hisoka knew what to do, but how he had known the man's name. And what had been on that card. But his partner was still watching their escort as he walked further down the passageway, presumably to rouse their sleeping host. Hisoka nodded to himself as the man disappeared behind the colorful leaves of a sugar maple.

"Anou . . . Hisoka . . . what was that card?" he asked quietly, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

"Something Mibu-san gave me, a long time ago," his partner whispered in response, emerald eyes unfocused as his gaze appeared to drift across the yard, from the still waters of a small pond, down the graveled walk, and over to the rain chime, still glistening with water. His curiosity was far from satisfied, but Tsuzuki could tell that pressing Hisoka would get him no where.

"Tell me, bouya, what could be so urgent as to bring you to my door at such an uncivilized hour?"

"Can't you guess?" Hisoka muttered as he turned towards their host, but his usual venom was strangely absent.

"And with the very man who possessed Kazutaka's mind for so many years," the other man sighed, shaking his head in disapproval. Tsuzuki bristled at the implications, forcing himself to at least appear calm. He wouldn't give this man the pleasure of his anger.

"He is my partner. . . ."

"When I saw this," Mibu said, gesturing with a business card of some sort, "I confess to having hoped that this was not a business call, Hisoka. But if you're looking for Kazutaka, I'm afraid you've wasted your time. He hasn't been here in over a year."

"You expect us to just believe that?!" Tsuzuki demanded.

"You will believe what you will, of course, Tsuzuki-san, but your partner knows I am not lying."

"Mibu-san . . . did he ever mention anything about Autobots or Cybertrons? Or alien technology, perhaps?"

"There was a brief time when I thought his search was over . . . but you never came. And I was left to wonder what had happened. No, Bon. Like he did so many times before, he simply stopped coming."

"Did he ever say why?"

"He was hunting something further north, with no time for me anymore. And then with the wedding . . .," their host replied, genuine sadness coloring his expression momentarily as his voice trailed briefly into silence. "Something captured his attention, these aliens you mentioned perhaps. Perhaps not. You know how I disliked inquiring into his affairs, bouya."

"Hai," Hisoka replied, nodding in resignation. "We had to ask."

"Of course. I only wish I had something more to offer," he said demurely, extending the business card to Hisoka. "He is right about one thing, though; Time is a cruel master."

Hisoka snorted but said nothing as he accepted the card, slipping it into his wallet without a word. Tsuzuki could feel a hundred questions dancing around his thoughts, curiosity growing steadily. Hisoka had told him about that night, five years past, and the duel with Mibu-san, but it seemed there had been other meetings between the two as well of which Tsuzuki had known nothing.

"Did he take the blonde? This is his area, is it not?"

"No . . . no, Watari-san is fine. This is . . . a private matter."

"The aliens you mentioned . . . Autobots. They are involved in this? Hmm . . . watch yourself then, bouya. Alien motives are not to be trusted."

"For all their power, they cannot hurt me, Mibu-san. Thank you for your time. Give my regards to Seiya."

Questions threatening to overwhelm him, Tsuzuki silently followed his partner out of the Ko Kaku Rou and back to Meifu. He wanted to talk to Hisoka, have his partner explain what he had just witnessed, but Tatsumi was waiting for them with orders to join Watari in Chijou.

"Tsuzuki! Bon! Good, I was feeling a little outnumbered. What news from Kyoto?"

"Mibu-san had nothing to offer," Hisoka sighed, rubbing his temple absently. "Have things gotten worse lately?"

"Ah, well . . . that Decepticon, Scourge, doesn't know anything either. There seems to be some, ahem, difference of opinion on what they should do next, particularly where the Decepticon is concerned. And whether we should even be involved at all."

"Why are we involved? Alien disputes aren't exactly in our jurisdiction, even if Muraki is at the root of all this."

"Watari-san, the next transform is complete. I wish I knew what it was you were looking for, though."

"Ah, thank you T-AI-chan. I'll take a look in a second. As for why we're involved at all . . . Tsuzuki, Daytonus would like to talk to you, although it would seem his superiors would prefer he didn't."

It wasn't exactly an answer, but Watari had already turned to pour over the latest results of whatever he was doing with the computer and the holographic girl hovering at his side. The huge room hummed with equipment and technology far above anything Tsuzuki could even hope to understand, a gleaming expanse of silver-grey metal interrupted by the black panels of computer screens and blinking lights in an assortment of colors. From where he was standing, he couldn't see anyone else in the room, besides themselves. Which meant Daytonus, whoever that was, was somewhere else in . . . Tsuzuki stopped short as he realized he didn't even know where they were.

"Here! I'm here!" a stocky orange and black robot declared as he ran into the room. "Tsuzuki-san? Will you help me?"

"Help you with what?"

"Finding my partner, Crosswise. If I can take you to him, will you help me overcome whatever that Muraki person is doing to him?"

"How will you ever find him?" Hisoka asked skeptically.

"I have my ways. But that Muraki . . . whatever he wants with Cross, he can neutralize an Autobot's sensors, impacting our systems so badly we're lost without any clear idea of where or even when we are. That's why I need your help, Tsuzuki-san. Please . . . will you help me?"

"I'll do anything I can," he vowed quietly. Maybe Muraki's quest for the Autobot Crosswise had nothing to do with him, but Tsuzuki seriously doubted it. He wasn't about to allow yet another innocent to suffer because of his powers, not if he could help it.

  
  
  
  


Crosswise was lost in a world without sensation, every sensor array defaulting in a field of static snow. No sense of direction, no way of gleaning any real information about his situation. It was a helplessness beyond anything he had ever felt before, a bitter weakness that gave hopelessness fertile ground. He didn't even know what had happened. One second he had been asking Watari about the intruder and the next . . . this hell of nothingness. Crosswise could only assume that whoever was responsible - and he suspected that someone was their intruder, Muraki Kazutaka - had taken him away somewhere, otherwise he wouldn't still be in this situation.

All right, Cross, stay calm. Panic won't get us anywhere, he told himself sternly. But whatever Muraki had done to him, if it was indeed Muraki, it was impacting every system. He couldn't even use his own body rhythms to measure time, an inherently dangerous situation.

No sensors, no mobility, no communications. So just what's keeping me online?

Perversely enough, the answer was his own mental activity. And though he was apprehensive about shutting down in such uncertain circumstances, stasis would be far safer than remaining active in hostile conditions. Snowed over in static definitely qualified as hostile conditions.

Find me quickly, Day. . . . 


	4. Tenshi Yumemi

  
**Author's Note:**   
**Warnings:**   
**Disclaimer:** _Yami no Matsuei_ belongs to Matsushita Yoko and RiD belongs to Hasbro/Takara. I have no claim to anything except the plot.   
  


**Silver Sakura**   
_Chapter 4: Tenshi Yumemi   
(trans: Dreaming of Angels)_

Tsuzuki watched in wordless amazement as the world flew past Daytonus's windows, upside down. Or rather, they were upside down, driving on the underside of an overpass. He had no idea what specific magic Muraki was using, but between his powers and Hisoka's, he was confident that it wouldn't matter.

"Daytonus-san," Hisoka mumbled, looking slightly ill, "could you not drive upside down?"

"Ah, sorry about that, Kurosaki-san. I'm not used to having passengers," the Autobot chuckled, shifting around to the side of the overpass. That didn't seem to improve matters much for Hisoka, even though, from their perspective, gravity was still oriented to pull them towards the car's floor. When the overpass ended, Daytonus leaped off the wall and straight towards a building. Tsuzuki could feel himself starting to panic when a red gateway opened up before them and they were suddenly in the spacebridge again.

"Daytonus-san, where are we going?"

"Ah, well, the tracking I'm trying to do is very tricky. I'm using the spacebridge to cut down distance, but it's not an exact science I'm dealing with here, so I have to be careful. I won't really know where I'm going until I'm almost there."

"I think I'm beginning to see why your superiors didn't want you doing this."

"Optimus? Yeah, he worries worse than my own creators. At least they were smart enough to know there was no way they could stop me."

Tsuzuki raised an eyebrow at that; from what he had learned of the Autobot expedition, it was a military outposting. While it wasn't impossible to think an entire family might be in the military, it seemed strange that said family would be posted together. Then again, he barely understood human military thinking and these Autobots were aliens. Who knew what was normal for them?

Daytonus revved his engine as they burst out of the spacebridge to land on the roof of another building. Tsuzuki craned his neck to try to get a better idea of where they were, surprised to see the buildings of a Kyoto shrouded in a gentle rain all around them. Daytonus remained unmoving, as if studying the land, like a great metal dog sniffing out a faint trail, but just the sight of the familiar city was enough to rouse Tsuzuki's temper. They had already been in Kyoto once that morning. Had that man lied to them?

"He can't possibly be here," Hisoka said, denial clear in his voice. "If Muraki was in Kyoto, surely Mibu-san would have known!"

"Perhaps he did and chose not to tell us. He's been Muraki's best friend for decades. Why shouldn't he lie?"

"You don't know him, Tsuzuki," Hisoka muttered. "Not like I do. He wouldn't lie to me. Not about this."

"Relax, you two. Cross is still a couple hundred klicks or more from here. I just needed to pause to make sure I was still on the right bearing. That and to get yelled at properly by Mirage for running off without him."

"Did you really think you were going to get away with leaving us behind?" a new voice asked from somewhere outside Daytonus and to the left. Tsuzuki twisted around in his seat, trying to see who was there, more than a little surprised to see a racecar idling beside them.

"Aww come on, 'Raj, you know it's not like that. I just saw an opening to get out and split before Prime could say 'no' one more time."

"And nevermind the rest of us. Yeah, yeah, I know. The team's waiting for your signal but until we know what this bastard's doing to neutralize us. . . ."

"That's why the shinigami are with me. Between Tsuzuki-san and Kurosaki-san, they're pretty sure that they can handle anything this guy decides to dish out."

The one named Mirage made a sort of quiet disbelieving noise, then the red of the spacebridge gateway yawned open in front of them once more. Tsuzuki had no idea how far 200 klicks was, precisely, or how quickly the spacebridge would allow them to cover that distance, but he relaxed against his seat anyway. Perhaps they should have been forming a plan of attack, but . . . it was Muraki. The only truly effective plan was to expect the unexpected. And to try not to underestimate him too much.

"Will you summon Suzaku again?" Hisoka asked quietly. Ah well, so much for not planning ahead, he thought to himself with failing amusement.

"She didn't do much last time," he sighed.

"Then Byakko?"

"I . . . don't really know, Hisoka. I'll have to see the situation, but . . . maybe Touda."

"You can't be serious!"

"He won't hurt me, Hisoka. But I won't know until I see the place," Tsuzuki said quietly, watching the tunnel walls zip past, to be replaced in time with the street of a small town. Tsuzuki felt his breathing catch as Daytonus sailed through a town only starting to rise in the watery light of a misty dawn. Summoning Touda was an act of desperation, not reason; the shikigami would think nothing of burning the entire town to the ground. His black fires could be controlled, if the snake god could be made to care . . . and that was a rather big "if". If Muraki had an installation here, then perhaps he could allow it. But if Muraki was only usurping some space . . . perhaps Byakko wouldn't be such a bad choice. Or perhaps SohRyu. Or both.

"Whatever you two are planning, you might want to wrap it up pretty fast."

"Then you found him?" Tsuzuki asked, sitting up and looking around curiously. A warehouse loomed up ahead, unmarked, but the size alone made it a likely place for whatever Muraki was plotting this time. Unless, of course, it was one of the other buildings.

"Yup. The warehouse, which figures, really. You two ready?"

"As ready as we can be," Hisoka confessed uneasily. Even as his partner spoke, Daytonus coasted to a stop, parking with undeserved ease outside the warehouse before opening his doors. Tsuzuki paused only momentarily before climbing out and assessing the building. It looked too easy - an abandoned warehouse just beyond the business district, once used in the steel industry like several of the other empty buildings in this part of town. Cracked, missing, and boarded up windows spoke of long neglect, but gave little clue what Muraki was planning.

"Hisoka," he started, but as he looked over, his partner had already anticipated him, eyes closed as he stretched his senses outward towards the building. After a moment he opened his eyes, shaking his head. Nothing useful. Not unexpected, given their adversary, but they'd had to try.

"You two stay out here," Tsuzuki directed calmly. "If he's here, you'd be useless anyway. If he isn't, we'll let you know. Easy."

Ofuda ready and a summoning prayer on the tip of his tongue, Tsuzuki carefully lead them into the warehouse, only marginally surprised to see Hisoka gripping the hilt of his sword. He hadn't realized his partner had brought the weapon with him, though in hindsight he wasn't surprised. Tsuzuki had no idea where Hisoka had received the gift, but he had watched as, over several days, his young partner had carefully infused it with protective and enhancing magic, inordinately proud of his partner's achievement in mastering the complex spells and charms involved. The enchantments long since complete, the katana's blade could slice through steel trusses without losing its razor-sharp edge and Hisoka weilded it like a master.

The first room of the warehouse was empty save a thick layer of dust and hundreds of abandoned cobwebs. They passed through it quickly, though the entire room gave Tsuzuki pause. Aside from their own passing, there was no sign anyone had been inside that room in years. Could they be wrong? They passed through the second room, similarly abandoned, and then the third, and with each room Tsuzuki became even more certain that Daytonus had made a mistake. If Muraki had been using this warehouse, there should have been signs of it.

"Hisoka. . . ."

"Wait . . . there's something in that room. . . ."

"Something or someone?"

"Both," Hisoka muttered. "Only the Autobots feel like this. I don't sense Muraki, but. . . ."

"But it doesn't mean he isn't there," Tsuzuki finished for him. Nodding his understanding, the elder shinigami silently opened the door. He tried to summon some reaction beyond bland acceptance of the sight of Muraki leaning against the prostrate form of Crosswise, but nothing came. They had known the madman was responsible for the alien scientist's disappearance, after all.

"Ah, Tsuzuki-san. So you have found me. I'm impressed. It couldn't have been easy."

"Let him go, Muraki."

"Tell me, Tsuzuki-san, what trinket did they offer for your assistance? Promises of soothing your guilt? Glimpses of wonders not yet conceived by mortal men? Tell me, Tsuzuki-san, what price for your conscience?"

"Cut the crap, Muraki. It's me you want; let the Autobot go."

"You are never more beautiful then when you're furious, Tsuzuki-san. But really, you are much too kind-hearted for your own good, my dearest. And too trusting."

"Che, you're so full of shit, Muraki. Either tell us what you want with the Autobot or leave," Hisoka declared calmly, drawing his sword to hold it defensively before him, a thin line of steel by which he showed his confidence, the tip pointed to the floor. Tsuzuki smiled in spite of himself; Hisoka had tamed the outrage that had so marked their previous encounters with Muraki. The madman's good eye widened momentarily before hardening with resolve.

"I don't recall inviting you to join this coversation . . . bouya."

"Do you think you can frighten me with your words? I am not your toy anymore . . . ."

"Ah, but you're wrong, Kurosaki-kun. You will always be my own beautiful doll. . . ."

A red halo suddenly glowed around Hisoka as his curse marks flared to life. His partner screamed and collapsed to the floor, the sword clattering uselessly against the concrete. But before Tsuzuki could even finish the invocation that would have drawn Byakko into the world of the living, Muraki was gone, the echo of his laughter all that remained.

"Hisoka! Hisoka, are you all right?"

"Don't . . . don't touch. . . ."

Tsuzuki ignored his trembling partner's protests, pushing down his own annoyance in an effort to project calm onto Hisoka. The clamor of metal footsteps did nothing to help, but he forced himself to ignore them even as he watched the two Autobots burst into the room, weapons drawn. They had the room scanned in less than a minute, weapons vanishing in twin flares of light.

"When we heard screaming," Mirage started to explain, but he was cut off as Daytonus pushed past the other robot to kneel beside Croswise. "Is he okay?"

"He's in stasis; T-AI should be able to bring him around easily enough. How's your partner, Tsuzuki-san?"

"Hisoka?"

"Baka . . . I'll be fine. But . . . he shouldn't've left."

"I know . . . it was too easy."

"Easy? Easy?! You call this easy?" Daytonus said loudly as he rose to his feet. "You think tracking Cross was easy?? You shinigami don't know anything!"

Tsuzuki watched, helpless, as the Autobot stormed out of the room, Crosswise still laying on the floor. The robot's anger made no more sense to him than Muraki's sudden withdrawal. And it did nothing to improve his own mood when he saw the impact it was having on his partner. A situation that, he realized with a start, he was only worsening by his own sour thoughts.

"You'll have to excuse Daytonus," Mirage said a moment later, crouching down to run questing fingers along the side of the still-prone Autobot, searching for something. "This has been particularly hard on him and now you say the enemy fled too easily."

"Muraki doesn't leave unless he's accomplished something. And all he proved was. . . ."

Hisoka trailed off to blink up at Tsuzuki with wide eyes. The physical link between them only reinforced what Tsuzuki had already suspected.

"Tatsumi-san. . . ."

"Watari first," Tsuzuki murmured. For a split second, he hesitated. Then Hisoka flinched and tried to push down another wave of burning pain from the still-visible curse marks. 

"Mirage-san, we'll meet you back at the base!"

Not waiting for the Autobot's response, Tsuzuki shifted his grip on his partner minutely before making the mental adjustment that would carry them back to the lab. And Watari.

  
  
  
  


Daytonus stood outside the final room, silently watching Mirage examine Crosswise as he apologized for Daytonus's own behavior. The Spychanger sniper was right - he had acted unreasonably. But the thought that this situation could repeat itself left him feeling seriously unsettled.

Something suddenly occurred to the two shinigami. Something they feared they should have considered sooner. And whatever it was, instinctually, Daytonus knew it was bad. Still he hung back, waiting for the two to vanish before stepping back into the room.

"Well?" Mirage asked without looking up.

"Sorry."

"I'm not the one who needs to hear it. Come on, give me a hand here. Magnus is waiting in the alley."

"He even fits back there?"

"Barely, but it was better than trying to fit him in here."

"And the shinigami? What was that about?"

"Who knows. Don't worry about it, just help me with him."

Daytonus nodded and tried not to think about that look he'd seen. But it was impossible. Maybe he was too much like REV, a natural worrier, but he couldn't help it. When an angel of death looked worried, only a great fool remained calm.

  
  
  
  


Watari glanced between Tsuzuki and Tatsumi, then nodded. They were right, of course. Enough time had been wasted already. And for all his efforts, all he had to offer was an assurance that the world would not end if Tatsumi completed the mission.

"Anou . . . Watari . . . take Hisoka back to Meifu for me?"

"Nan da? Don't talk like that! I don't need any help! This is our case!"

"And there's nothing more you can do to help. And with your curse marks still burning . . . at least let him give you some asprin, ne?"

Hisoka sulked, but didn't argue, a sure sign that his curse was hurting him again.

"Worry not, Kurosaki-kun," Tatsumi said with a faint smile. "I'll look after your partner."

The youth actually smiled at the outraged protest from Tsuzuki, who very definitely did not, in his opinion, need anyone to look after him. It was not something often seen, that smile, and it eased some of Watari's worries.

"T-AI-chan, thank you for all your help. You've made all the proper arrangements?"

"Most welcome, Watari-san," the holographic girl replied with a genuinely sad smile. "I would say that you are welcome here any time, but. . . ."

"Of course. Perhaps in another five years, ne? Well Bon? Ready to go home?"

"More than ready, Watari-san," the boy sighed, almost but not quite succeeding in hiding another flinch. Before the young shinigami could protest, he clasped his hand and took them back to Meifu. He would miss T-AI-chan and the Autobots, but perhaps they would meet again some day.

  
  
  
  


Crosswise woke up to the smiling face of Daytonus hanging over him and the sounds of Medical humming all around him. A quick diagnostic confirmed what he already knew - all systems were operating normally. Which was a relief all it's own.

"Hey . . . welcome back. . . ."

"You found me," he whispered, surprised at the weakness in his own voice. If everything was operating normally, then there was no reason for it. And yet. . . .

"Of coruse I did," Daytonus smiled back. "You didn't think I'd just leave you in the hands of a depraved lunatic, now did you?"

Crosswise couldn't think of a suitable reply, so he merely smiled, knowing Daytonus would see it even with the concealing faceplate in place. Doubting Daytonus had never been an option; his partner was incapable of letting him down. Spychanger or not, Daytonus, as much as either of the young 'bot's creators, would do anything for him.

"What happened?" he asked a moment later.

"Well, as best the shinigami can figure it, you really were the target all along. Or at least your knowledge of our technology. Thing of it is, with you in stasis mode, this Muraki guy wouldn't've been able to get anything out of you. Watari-san and T-AI agree that he poked around your insides a bit, but face it. We're lightyears ahead of anything the humans have. Since you couldn't give him the knowledge he sought, you became worthless to him, so he left."

"You of all people should know better than to try to tell me it was that simple."

"Hey, that's not simple!" Daytonus protested. "Besides, you'd know if I was lying."

"And Koji?"

"Ah, yes . . . Koji. . . ."

Daytonus's visor meant it was difficult to tell when he was avoiding direct visual contact, but Crosswise had learned to see the signs. Beyond that, he could feel his partner's unease.

So, they win. The boy dies anyway.

"It's not . . . well, you know how it is. . . ."

"I know," Crosswise sighed. To all things there comes an ending.

  
  
  
  


When Koji woke up to see the strange purple-eyed man from earlier that morning, he nearly screamed. But whatever he was, and he had little reason to disbelieve Ultra Magnus's claim that he was shinigami, his face was too gentle to be feared. The man standing next to him, however, was another matter entirely. Taller than even his father with imperious blue eyes that reflected no emotion at all. It was like looking at two faces of a mirror: the rumpled, kindly angel versus the prim, ice-cold demon.

"Tsuzuki-san . . . I would not have imagined the Angel of Death looking like you. . . ."

The smile that had illuminated the man's face at his name vanished immediately at the mention of death. Strange, but then no more so than anything else Koji had seen of the angel who would be ending his life. He didn't want to die, of course, but at least he could take some comfort in knowing the angel was sorrowful as well.

"I . . . I'm not ready to die. I haven't even said goodbye to anyone. . . ."

"It's . . . better this way," Tsuzuki whispered, amethyst eyes refusing to look at him directly.

"Better for who?" he demanded, unshed tears catching in his throat. "This isn't fair!"

"This life is often unfair," the shadowed one replied coolly. "What binds you so to this life?"

"I . . . I'm too young to die."

"Children younger than you die every day. So I ask again, what binds you so to this life?"

There was something in the way his blue eyes flared in the shadows surrounding him that made Koji flinch. He didn't understand what the man was asking, didn't know what he wanted to hear. The intensity of the ice-demon's glare burrowing into his very soul left him speechless.

"Tatsumi . . . you're scaring him," the angel whispered, stepping between them to interrupt Koji's near-trance. As the shadows seemed to slither into a dark pool at the demon's feet, Koji blinked up at the strange angel, struck once more by the regret he saw echoed in inhuman eyes. An Angel of Death who regretted his job? Well, perhaps that was better than one who did not care.

"Tatsumi asks because your spirit is unwilling to move on. It's our job to find out why."

"I . . . I don't understand."

"You should have died. Instead, you managed an impossible recovery. What holds you here?"

"I just . . . I couldn't let them down. When I'm gone, who'll be there for them?"

"Satsified now, Tsuzuki-san?" his shadowy companion asked.

"Only one thing more. A last request, Koji?"

"If you will not let me say goodbye . . . then can I at least see your wings? I've never seen an angel before, but . . . you do have wings, right?"

"Koji, I . . . I'm not an angel. I'm just a poor shinigami . . . and not a very good one at that."

The shadows quivered like living things, the dark pool at the demon's feet rippling with a life of it's own. Fear gripped his heart then. Fear of death, fear of the unknown, fear of being alone. He never would have imagined his life ending in Crosswise's lab, all alone in the night.

"You don't have to be afraid, Koji. Meifu is a beautiful place. And . . . well. . . ."

"Tsuzuki-san," the demon said warningly.

"He could do the job, Tatsumi. It'd only need the chief's approval and you could get that. . . ."

"Job? You mean . . . become a shinigami?"

"No, only EnmaDaiOh can choose new shinigami," Tatsumi said frigidly. "But . . . perhaps Tsuzuki is right. You have the interest and the tie to Chijou."

"I don't understand," Koji sighed, watching the two . . . were they both shinigami? The one called Tatsumi didn't seem human, but then neither did his comrade.

"Shokoucho's field office is hiring. It's not much - they need a new, well, intern, basically - and you'll still be dead, but. . . ."

"But?"

"Shokoucho is this district, Kyuushuu. Interning isn't much fun, but if you kept at it, you could move up to researcher or maybe even field agent. And with this being my district. . . ."

"Tsuzuki!"

"What? It'd just be lunch! You know Hisoka wouldn't allow anything else. Besides, I know this wonderful little place in Nagasaki that makes the best desserts. . . ."

Koji blinked up at the two shinigami again, disbelieving what he was hearing. The dead had jobs? From the sounds of it, he would still be able to interact with the living world, even if it was in a limited capacity. If he could do that, then maybe he would still be able to help the Autobots.

"But you still have to kill me, even if I take this job, right?"

"Yes," Tsuzuki said with a nod, sadness ringing him like an aura.

"But if I take it, I might still be able to help my friends?"

"Juuohcho has little interest, official or otherwise, in these aliens," Tatsumi replied. "As part of the Shokoucho office, you would be similarly bound. However, there are always . . . exceptions, Onishi-kun."

"Then . . . I am ready."

A sad smile momentarily touched Tsuzuki's face and then disappeared. Folding his hands and closing his eyes, the shinigami began chanting softly. Pale lavender light pushed aside the shadows as it formed a hazy halo around Tsuzuki's entire body. Mystified, Koji watched in rapt attention as the glow deepend in hue, then slowly extended out from the man's back. His eyes grew wide as the halo added the outline of folded wings. Then his breath caught as black feathered wings suddenly filled that outline, stretching out from Tsuzuki's back to full extension as the glow faded before folding back again.

"But . . . but you said. . . !"

"Aa, I said I wasn't an angel," Tsuzuki replied with a wink. "I never said I didn't have wings."

"Tsuzuki Asato. . . !"

"I know, I know, but he wanted to see them. Last wish of a dying boy."

For a brief moment, Koji felt like his eyes were about to pop out of his head as Tsuzuki walked over to him. Up close, he could see the wings had two kinds of feathers - edge feathers that shimmered in the low light and darker feathers that absorbed the light completely. Entranced, his hand reached out of its own accord and he was surprised at the softness, like the finest silk.

"I . . . arigatogozaimasu, Tsuzuki-sama," he whispered, unable to hold back a flood of gratitude and despair. Closing his eyes, he surrendered his fight against the tears that flowed freely down his cheeks. The sight of those black wings had been more beautiful than anything he had ever seen in his life.

He felt a soft warmth wrapping around him a heartbeat before arms pulled him into a silent hug. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to find himself surrounded by Tsuzuki's wings.

"Close your eyes and go to sleep, Onishi-kun," the shinigami whispered. "Dream of angels. It will all be different when you wake."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


-- The End --


End file.
